The Almeida Theatre use a series of converted buildings for rehearsals and administration, tucked away in a yard behind Upper Street, Islington.
We were invited to help Almeida explore options to improve accessibility, efficiency and maximise available space, from a light touch to a more ambitious vision.
Rehearsal and administrative uses are currently spread across two floors within a cluster of Victorian and later infill buildings on a tightly constrained site, accessed via a shopfront on Upper Street.
We created a vision to provide a more prominent presence on Upper Street and new basement storage supporting the creation of an extended rehearsal space large enough to accommodate the entire Almeida stage with a small audience of producers and directors.
The double height volume could be a new structure or retain some historic facades, with both options offering a dramatic top-lit concrete roof.
Other aspects were rationalised to create additional area for offices, green rooms, back of house and flexible multi-use spaces.
Accessibility was resolved to all buildings across the complex site, with the option to surgically insert an access core to the centre as a standalone project.
Our proposals for Almeida allowed the theatre to understand the potential of their site, present ideas to Islington council and apply to The Arts Council for funding.
At it’s most ambitious, the new venue would have the capacity to rehearse at full scale as well as create a secondary venue for smaller, community events.
