It leads into a generous lobby-atrium-cum-café space, familiar from so many public buildings. A transformational project for English National Ballet (ENB) which sees the rehearsal, ENB School, and administration functions move from west to east London and into London City Island. Credit:  Photography by Hufton + Crow, The headquarters building provides a cultural anchor for the London City Island docklands redevelopment, says Rob Wilson. Martin McGrath, deputy group managing director, OCSC. The English National Ballet (ENB) building posed some interesting challenges from a structural engineering perspective. info@ballet.org.uk, © 2021 English National Ballet. London City Island is in fact a peninsular, a last tidal bend of the River Lea before it hits the Thames, once occupied by low-rise light industry and storage. The production space is essentially a black box with a fly tower at one end and retractable bleacher seating at the other. A sandwich of translucent glass-fibre insulation delivers not just a thermal envelope but a sense of enclosure and a soft milky light. English National Ballet The Wolfson Foundation The specification was defined in reference to specific examples from the contractor’s previously completed buildings. Status. Not only is there plenty of space for development, creation of new commissions and rehearsals, the new building has rehab facilities, a music room for English National Ballet Philharmonic, and digital infrastructure which will allow both organisations to transmit their work to audiences around the UK and the rest of the world. It has designed a building that works hard and well for all English National Ballet’s various specialist users. The space can also be hired out, as indeed can the main performance studio when the ballet is out on tour – for everything from a Cameron Mackintosh production rehearsal to a Porsche advert. English National Ballet announced its revised plans for Autumn 2020, as the Company’s previously scheduled performances have been cancelled due to the continuing impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic.. An exciting new digital season of short works for camera from choreographers including Russell Maliphant, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Yuri Possokhov, Arielle Smith and ENB Associate … We have created something that is pared-back and elegant, but also hard working, with its character defined by a celebration of exposed raw materials such as concrete ceilings and translucent glass walls. “What I wanted for the Company was a space where we could create, where we could have freedom, and where we could share our ambition and we could connect with the local community”, Tamara said. The Wigoder Family Foundation Robert King, associate, Glenn Howells Architects, Start on site June 2016Completion September 2019Gross internal floor area 8,635m²Construction cost£27 millionConstruction cost per m² £3,198Architect Glenn Howells ArchitectsClient English National BalletDeveloper EcoWorld BallymoreStructural engineers Hydrock (fit out), OCSC (shell & core)M&E consultants Hydrock (fit out), TB&A (shell & core)Quantity surveyors Pulse Associates (fit out), Lambert Smith Hampton (fit out), Gardiner & Theobald (shell & core)Project managers Pulse Associates (fit out), Lambert Hampton Smith (fit out), Acumen (shell & core)CDM co-ordinator CDM Services UKApproved building inspector Butler & YoungMain contractors BW (fit out), Ballymore Construction Services (shell & core)Acoustic engineers Aecom (fit out), IDIBRI (fit out), Hoare Lea (shell & core)Landscape consultants Chris Blandford Associates (shell & core), Camlins (shell & core)Interior designer the space studioLighting Hydrock (fit out), Buro Happold (shell & core)Sustainability consultant Eight Associates (fit out)Access consultant Access IncludedCAD software used Autodesk Revit, On-site energy generation None (although the London City Island energy centre has a CHP which feeds into the district heating system)Heating and hot water load 148.93kWh/m2/yrTotal energy load 215.28kWh/m²/yrCarbon emissions (all) 47.6kgCO²/m²Annual mains water consumption 42.89 litres/person/day, or 10.85m³/person/yearAirtightness at 50pa 3m³/hr/m²Overall thermal bridging heat transfer coefficient (Y value) 0.049W/m²kOverall area-weighted u-value 0.49W/m²kEmbodied / whole-life carbon 2,199,293 kgCO²eq/m²Predicted design life in years 60 years, TagsBallet school Docklands East London Glenn Howells Architects, This new nursery at Warner Bros Studios in Hertfordshire for childcare provider…, This 3,250m² scheme in central London will operate as a membership organisation…, The first photographs have been released of David Chipperfield’s overhaul of Mies…, The nine-flat, two commercial unit development has interiors designed by Scenesmith which…. In choosing English National Ballet, the judges said three key aspects made the £36 million project stand out from the impressive shortlist. But on approach, crossing the Mark Whitby-designed bridge that connects London City Island to Canning Town tube, the corner of ENB’s pale, orthogonal form does provide a small echo of its Dessau predecessor, its name in big super-graphics on its pale façade. These also contain one rectangle of clear glazing: ‘We did not want them to be sealed boxes … we wanted the dancers to have views out,’ says Mulligan. Visit our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy to learn more. The biggest challenge for the architects was to plan a flexible, modern venue for dance on a limited area with a clear budget. This is 20 x16m with a 26m-high fly tower, which essentially sets the height of the building. The phrase was coined by the ENB’s artistic director Tamara Rojo, although in reference more to the content than the container. Designed and built by Cog. By Kate Lough. We have been working in collaboration with Glenn Howells Architects (GHA) since 2014 on the relocation of our headquarters from South Kensington to our new purpose-built building in Canning Town. Visually, these gridded panels suggest an orthogonally regular building. English National Ballet 41 Hopewell Square, London, E14 0SY 020 7581 1245 info@ballet.org.uk Beyond its architectural merits, it features some clever glass solutions. No. The brilliant English National Ballet are performing at this London landmark as part of the City of London Festival 2012. The building also plugs into the London City Island district heating system, making it extremely carbon efficient. Holloway Charitable Trust This new 8,600m2 building has enabled not only a massive expansion of its facilities but also its co-location with the separately run English National Ballet School for the first time. The Linbury Trust Its façade is composed of a large white-framed grid of anodised steel, with occasional panels of clear glazing punctuating opaque U-channelled glass panels of Linit – fast becoming one of the materials-of-the-moment. Registered in England and Wales. English National Ballet is one of the foremost touring companies in Europe, performing in theatres throughout the UK as well as conducting international tours and performing at special events. Our sincere thanks are with the following people and organisations for their support. English National Ballet 41 Hopewell Square, London, E14 0SY 020 7581 1245 info@ballet.org.uk Chanel To enable this, we selected double tee units and bridge beams which could provide the long spans and natural frequency requirements while using the offsite system build. The Foyle Foundation Lady Rosemary Buchanan It builds on the ballet company’s long history of innovation, ever since it was founded as the London Festival Ballet in 1950 (it was renamed in 1984), with a remit to take ballet out to new audiences by touring nationally. English National Ballet’s new home signifies a new chapter in the Company’s diverse and distinguished history and brings with it a new and invigorated commitment to our founding mission: to bring world class ballet to as many people as possible, wherever they are and whatever their means. Its defining design driver was the need to include a main space production studio – essentially a space containing a stage with theatre-like dimensions for full rehearsals. English National Ballet School, which had been housed separately, will once again be under the same roof. Floor space of 8,640 Square metres was designed by Glenn Howell Architects, it features some clever glass solutions interesting. 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