1. Royal College of Music
Prince Consort Road, London
Intro
A project we’re extremely proud to be involved with, was the complete
refurbishment of the main hall at the Royal College of Music, with
particular emphasis on upgrading the services to meet modern
requirements.
Description
A complete refurbishment, with the provision of new air handling,
comfort cooling and heating systems.
Built during 1901, the Listed, 468-seat barrel-vaulted concert hall
designed by Blomfield was, and still is, one of the best world venues
for live classical music.
Challenges
Due to being such a large space, the entire mechanical systems had
to be placed on the roof of an adjacent building. The provision of a
steel deck and housing structure was also needed to support £1m
of equipment.
The coordination of new remote lift & lower lighting rig system, which
had pulleys threading their way between ducts, structural trusses and
lighting systems was our biggest challenge.
Outcome
The finishes involved high class paint, scumbling and gold leafing.
Replacement wainscoting and cornicing were to hide the new cabling
for the £1.6m house and performance lighting systems.
The project was completed on time and to budget for a client
who, originally, was nervous to test the space. Once performances
commenced, it received accolades for its beauty and, more
importantly, the refined acoustics. This, coming from the best
conductors in the world, meant we had a very happy client.
Value: £5,400,000
Duration: 54 weeks
Contract: Traditional