Arts Portfolio
As architects, landscape architects and urban designers, we create award winning buildings, living landscapes and thriving urban spaces, using inventive design to solve real life challenges. Each of our projects is different but the driving force behind every one is the desire to create something that is inherently beautiful, sustainable and useful.
Our vast experience in the design of arts and cultural buildings, from museums and galleries to theatres and concert halls, has been recognised through repeat business and numerous awards. As well as designing new buildings, we are well versed in the sensitive restoration and refurbishment of listed buildings for arts use. We have significant expertise working in heritage contexts and always strike a balance between respecting architectural heritage whilst meeting modern day quality and accessibility standards.
These spaces provide an opportunity to play a key role in fostering sustainable communities and become meaningful anchors in a city’s cultural infrastructure. Good design – people-centred, unintimidating and enjoyable – can engage visitors and help attract a wider, more diverse audience. From our design studios in London and Manchester, our urban designers, landscape architects and interior designers also enable us to look holistically at all projects, providing the expertise to deal with the macro scale masterplanning and micro scale detailing, both inside and outside the buildings.
Bristol Beacon, Phase 1 Bristol Bristol City Council The transformation of Bristol Beacon will see the venue become Bristol’s musical hub, with modern facilities fit for 2,500 people. The first phase of this large, complex project delivered a new foyer building, featuring an open informal performance space at its centre and a range of other flexible spaces to support education, outreach and conference programmes. The building is designed to have an independent architectural identity, expressing the desire to provide Bristol’s public with an entirely new concert-going experience.
“The transformation will touch tens of thousands of lives. Our audiences and the children that we educate will benefit immensely from the new facilities. We’ll also boost the Bristol economy by tens of millions of pounds each year.” Louise Mitchell, Chief Executive, Bristol Music Trust
Phase two involves sensitively restoring the listed building and Victorian second hall, refurbishing the back stage areas and creating new spaces for learning and creativity. Our proposals ensure that the sound in the halls is consistently good, and reconfiguring some of the seating will make the space more adaptable. The atmospheric cellars beneath the main hall will also be carefully converted to provide studios for learning and creativity, and an underground venue will extend Bristol Beacon’s diverse musical reach even further.
Bristol Beacon, Phase 2 Bristol Bristol City Council
Devonshire Park Masterplan Eastbourne Eastbourne Borough Council Dating from 1873, Devonshire Park has long been an attraction for the south coast. However, the facilities were in need of significant revitalisation and so we were appointed to carefully restore the listed theatres, enhance the tennis facilities and provide a new conference building. The key design driver was to transform the audience experience by improving comfort, accessibility and production quality. Our landscape masterplan introduces a new public plaza in front of the theatres with an outdoor café and increased planting – reinforcing the parkland setting and strengthening connections with the seafront and town centre.
“This is an extremely exciting project that will bring more people to Eastbourne, provide even better facilities for residents and support the sustainability of the park for future generations.” Councillor David Tutt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council
CGI?
The iconic façade of this Grade II* listed theatre has been sensitively restored and the original interior design reimaginged with the aid of historic photographs. The auditorium has a capacity of over 1,600, making it the largest proscenium theatre in the south east, outside of London. Permanent spaces for wheelchair users and companions have also been added. Accessibility has been further improved through the connecting Welcome Building, which provides level access to the stalls and central box office, as well as two large lifts to the upper levels. Back of house areas have also been reconfigured and enhanced to improve the experience for crew and performers.
Congress Theatre, Devonshire Park Eastbourne Eastbourne Borough Council
Welcome Building, Devonshire Park Eastbourne Eastbourne Borough Council The design combines the rational grid of the Congress Theatre and the lightweight, exposed structural expression of the Winter Garden, connecting both buildings literally and conceptually. The new halls are flexible and can be used for meetings, exhibitions, receptions, small performances and many other events. Very high standards of accessibility are met and the building includes low energy naturally ventilated foyers, is flooded with daylight and has photovoltaics on the roof to minimise CO² emissions.
“The development of Devonshire Park is a wonderful project for us that unusually combines our skills in masterplanning, landscape design and work with listed and new buildings in a heritage context.” Mark Lewis, Associate Director
Winter Garden, Devonshire Park Eastbourne Eastbourne Borough Council The Floral Hall and Gold Room have been refurbished for staged entertainment, dances, dinners, receptions, exhibitions and conferences. An innovative new grid is suspended over the stage to facilitate both traditional proscenium formats and cutting-edge open-stage music performances. The original facades and roofs have been repaired and the unsympathetic and decaying 1960s front facade will be restored to its original Victorian form. Sustainable natural ventilation to reduce over-heating, increased thermal insulation and a new energy efficient heating system have been installed along with lifts to all levels.
Outside of tournament time, the space is required to be flexible in order to accommodate a number of different activities and events. As well as large changing rooms, showers and toilets, there are flexible spaces which can be partitioned during the tournament to provide private rooms for doctors, physiotherapists and the players’ lounge. The players’ village is a modular construction, utilising modules that were prefabricated offsite and craned into place, before the timber cladding was installed. This method was used primarily for speed to ensure the facilities were ready for the 2017 Aegon tournament.
Player’s Village, Devonshire Park Eastbourne Eastbourne Borough Council
The Queen Elizabeth Music School Somerset King’s School, Bruton The new music school at King’s School, Bruton, sits on the site of a former open-air swimming pool, amongst a collection of listed buildings dating from the 16th Century. Facilities include a recital hall, peripatetic rooms, practice rooms, music classrooms and a recording studio. A carefully crafted ‘box of tricks’, the design has been driven by the constrained but inspiring site and an ambitious client brief. Situated within a rich landscape of historic structures, the setting demanded an architecturally sympathetic response, whilst delivering the complex technical and acoustic requirements of a music school.
“Since the idea of a new music school was first discussed, I hoped the building would transform both our music facilities and an unappealing brownfield site at the centre of our historic campus. The final building is even better than I hoped for… The design, use of light and space as well as the acoustic engineering are all of the highest quality.” Ian Wilmshurst, Headmaster, King’s School
Our masterplan provides a design framework for the delivery of new cultural facilities in response to the needs and aspirations of Swindon’s cultural organisations, participants and audiences. Our plan transforms a neglected part of town into a new arts district organised around high quality public spaces. We worked with the Council and its partner arts organisations to develop proposals for an inclusive arts offer to meet local needs and attract audiences from further afield. Long-term all-round sustainability underpins the emerging concepts, from financial resilience, environmental and societal perspectives, making this the UK’s first net zero carbon cultural quarter.
Swindon’s Cultural Quarter Swindon Swindon Borough Council
Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre Co. Our concept for this immersive theatre-in-the-round features a lightweight structure boldly inhabiting the space, its modernity in stark contrast to the traditional splendour of the Edwardian hall. The seven-sided construction spans between existing columns to avoid loading the floor and an odd number of facets ensures that members of the audience do not directly face each other. The original design was completed in 1976, and 20 years later, following the 1996 IRA bomb, we were invited back to restore the hall and make further adjustments to the theatre itself.
“The atmosphere is breathtaking as one enters that huge foyer space of the old nineteenth century Royal Exchange to see, suspended from the four monumental columns supporting the central dome of the building, this lunar space module-like structure of steel and glass that is the theatre itself.” Richard Negri, RET Director
“An achievement which must be rated as one of the greatest advances in theatrical architecture of all time.” Sheridan Morley, Punch magazine
“A wonderful, tactile building.” Giles Worsley, Daily Telegraph
“It’s not often that artists get an opportunity to realise a contribution in such a tangible way and this aspect has been of lasting significance to me.” Tania Kovats, Artist
Ikon Gallery Birmingham Ikon Gallery and Brindleyplace plc We were commissioned to restore, stabilise and repair the Grade II listed former Oozells Street School, converting it into a new home for the nascent Ikon Gallery. Our collaboration with artist Tania Kovats led to the building sitting on a slate plinth – making the gallery itself a work of art within the environment. Externally, we restored the building back to its former gothic glory and added a new glazed extension. Inside, the old classrooms were replaced with galleries that needed to be as flexible as possible to accommodate a range of artists and exhibits.
The Performing Arts Centre Monmouth Monmouth School for Girls Enjoying a prominent position above the town of Monmouth in south Wales, this boarding school for girls is on a challenging steep site which includes a Grade II listed main school building. A new three storey performing arts centre replaces an old gymnasium and links directly to the school’s existing main theatre building to provide a centrally located, combined facility for music, drama and dance. Key spaces include an entrance foyer which can be expanded for performance gatherings, a series of peripatetic, group practice and soundproof rooms, a technical studio, music classrooms, a library and new recital hall seating 200 people.
Our challenge here was to restore the dilapidated Grade I listed church and create a visually and acoustically stunning space for the London Symphony Orchestra. Externally, we focused on restoration, only adding a new roof and artists’ entrance on the site of the old vestry. Within, an entirely new interior was constructed. The volume of the church forms the main rehearsal, education and performance space. Below, the previously unsafe crypt was rebuilt to house a café, and extensions were excavated under the churchyard to create space for practice rooms, offices, plant and visitor facilities.
“Levitt Bernstein produced excellent results as architect and contract manager on our project. They led the project with great skill and imagination. They are very knowledgeable and their expertise was of great value to delivering an extremely challenging project.” Ian Martin, Chair, St Luke Centre Management Company Limited
LSO St Luke’s Islington, London The St Luke Centre Management Company
“St Luke’s now has a near perfect acoustic for chamber music: warm and supportive, yet also beautifully clear.” Richard Morrison, The Times
Victoria Gallery and Museum Liverpool University of Liverpool The refurbishment of this underused university building has created valuable space for the Educational Opportunities Department and a number of historical collections. Our starting point was to make the most of Waterhouse’s stunning interiors, which through careful restoration are now visible to the wider public for the first time. A series of sensitive interventions have also ensured the building is more accessible. Externally, the only ailing element was the impressive clock tower, which was fully restored to establish the Victoria Building as a Liverpool landmark once more.
“This project has transformed a private university building into one that can be enjoyed by all, whether school children involved in activities planned by Educational Opportunities, or people visiting the museum’s collections, the café, shop, lecture theatre or the magnificent building itself.” Rachel James, Consultant
This project combines three Grade II listed Victorian buildings on Southport’s handsome main street to form an integrated cultural centre, which includes performing arts, an art gallery, museum and library. The fine 19th Century gallery spaces have been upgraded to GIS standards to house touring exhibitions, and the centre’s two auditoria will now accommodate festival style events. The library has been expanded to include an internet cafe, music listening zones and a new local studies suite that complements the museum, visual and performing arts attractions.
The Atkinson Southport Sefton Council
Stratford Circus Performing Arts Centre Newham, London London Borough of Newham Combining a 300-seat courtyard style theatre, 100-seat studio space, medium scale dance studio, meeting rooms and a café, Stratford Circus is the centrepiece of the culture-led regeneration of Stratford town centre. The principal performance space is highly adaptable and incorporates retractable seating, variable proscenium and a tension wire grid. Stratford Circus is run by New Vic, a centre of vocational excellence, providing training for industry professionals, and is also the base for four resident arts organisations.
Built in 1819 and Grade I listed, this is the sole remaining working theatre from the Regency period in the UK. The project restores the auditorium, introducing original features and a decorative scheme based on extensive, detailed research. Improvements, including comfort cooling, are incorporated in a manner consistent with its role as a public service theatre, hosting a variety of medium sized productions. Finally, a new foyer extension on an adjoining garden gently touches the existing building – its shallow curved roof responding to the geometry of the theatre’s plan.
“We were delighted with the work that Levitt Bernstein carried out for us. They always went the extra mile and were businesslike in their dealings and scrupulous in their explanation of a field distant from our own experience.” Colin Blumenau, Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds
Theatre Royal Bury St. Edmunds Theatre Royal, Bury St. Edmunds
Regent Theatre Stoke-on-Trent City of Stoke-on-Trent The Grade II* listed Regent Theatre started life in 1929 as a ‘super cinema’ but fell into disuse in the 1980s. Although the auditorium had been subdivided it eventually succumbed to the advance of the multiplex and by the mid-90s was suffering severely from damage and decay. Our brief was to transform it into a ‘No. 1’ touring venue, able to host the best quality musicals, opera, ballet, drama, popular music and other entertainment events. The magnificent Art Deco auditorium and foyers have been fully restored, and a new larger stage and backstage facilities added.
This Grade II listed assembly hall has been sensitively restored and dramatically extended in a striking new building. The original hall and new facilities are separated by a top-lit four storey linear atrium foyer, traversed by slender bridges that connect the balcony levels with the new bars, toilets, stairs and lifts. Terracotta cladding responds to the new building’s brick neighbours and reflect Stoke’s pottery-making tradition. Backstage facilities have also been enlarged and improved, imaginatively incorporating the adjoining sessional court’s cell block within the backstage accommodation..
Victoria Hall Stoke-on-Trent City of Stoke-on-Trent
Corn Exchange King’s Lynn Leisure & Tourism Department, Borough of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk This competition-winning commission transformed this Grade II listed building into a 750-seat concert hall and multi-purpose public building. The scheme enables the performance space to convert rapidly from a fully seated to flat floor layout, and the acoustics can be varied to suit different requirements. A new ‘over-roof’ structure, supported by external columns, provides space for services and additional acoustic volume and retractable absorption panels. The design also allows for the future addition of a 200-seat and 500-seat auditoria for dance and drama.
Arts: early stages Over the years, we have led and contributed to many options appraisals, feasibility studies, funding applications and planning applications. Some have been delivered by other teams, but all contribute to our breadth of knowledge and experience of arts and heritage buildings.
ABC Cinema, Astley & Byrom House Manchester Allied London This post-war building has been considerably reconfigured over its life to meet changes in workplace demand but, as a result, its original modernist aesthetic has diminished. Under our proposals, the inappropriate additions are removed and the original structure refurbished to provide valuable workspace for Manchester’s creative industries, as part of the wider St John’s masterplan. A new storey and new amenity deck is added – these interventions designed to sit harmoniously with the classic simplicity of the existing architecture.
We were first runner-up in an open competition to transform the 1920s Scala Cinema and Grade II listed Victorian Corn Exchange into an exciting new home for theatre performance and production. By integrating and sensitively converting the buildings, our vision offered a 500+ seat main theatre and 110+ seat adaptable studio. Our designs included a linked but self-sufficient food and drink offer, accessible and easy to manage front of house spaces, and other spaces for rehearsal, events and hires – together with a contemporary prefabricated timber frame extension for dressing rooms and functional technical facilities.
Scala Theatre Worcester Worcester City Council
Cambridge Junction Cambridge Cambridge City Council and Cambridge Junction We won a competition to redevelop the venue’s existing performance spaces and provide cross-funding from new offices and workspaces. We explored the Junction’s desire for ‘radical connectivity’ as a design driver and proposed a new public entrance offering welcoming meeting places within a lively top-lit naturally ventilated internal street. This would draw people in from the piazza, car park and redeveloped Clifton Road area to an arts hub, complete with a food market and regular creative programming. The design encompasses an operational net zero carbon strategy achieved through Passivhaus principles.
We worked to develop a phased project to reimagine this fine Edwardian Grade II listed municipal hall as a centre for performance and creativity. Potential is unlocked by increasing audience capacity in the main hall, as well as improving stage and production facilities. Other grand historic rooms become more usable by creating new sound lobbies and reorganising circulation routes. A new extension and entrance from Imperial Square features a highly glazed café/ bar overlooking the gardens and a 150+ seat fit-for-purpose flexible studio to host the Trust’s educational and creative programming. The final phase could add a 300 seat adaptable studio theatre.
Cheltenham Town Hall Cheltenham Cheltenham Borough Council and Cheltenham Trust
Theatre Severn Shrewsbury Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council Following a design competition, we were commissioned to develop plans for a 650-seat main auditorium with full flying capability, a 250-seat flexible auditorium, a rehearsal and dance space, ancillary and back of house support accommodation and generous front of house areas to allow for a variety of activities, including exhibitions, cabaret and social functions. The chosen site is prominently located by the River Severn and the design approach exploits this setting with views up and downstream, addressing the effect of the scale and massing of the flytower, auditoria and foyers within the conservation area.
We were invited by the Panacea Charitable Trust to undertake a review of their campus in Bedford’s Museum Quarter. The museum tells the story of the Panacea Society, a remarkable religious community formed in the early twentieth century. Over 130,000 people world-wide applied to receive the Society’s method of healing – it’s ‘panacea’ to cure all illness. The community’s buildings, objects and archives are now in the care of the Trust. The Trust wishes to share the Panacea story with a wider audience by increasing its learning and conference activities, and optimising the use of its buildings. We helped crystallise a vision for the project and prepared a range of illustrative options from ‘do nothing’ to a range of achievable expansion plans.
Panacea Museum Bedford Panacea Charitable Trust
Greenwich Heritage Centre Greenwich, London Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust The Greenwich Heritage Trust wanted to increase its community value and become more financially sustainable through relocation. The Royal Brass Foundry was selected as it could house both the museum and archives within a historically important building close to Woolwich Town Centre and the River Thames. Our proposal removes later intrusive mezzanines and reopens the volumes and interconnections of the original foundry, revealing its fascinating industrial story to the public for the first time. The spectacular double-height founding range becomes the focus of the museum, housing the cafe, shop and orientation. Meanwhile, surrounding spaces can be used for a variety of activities, such as education, retail units and commercial hires.
We undertook an options appraisal to repair and restore this museum and archives collection by installing new displays, expanding the learning and community offer, reducing the need for ongoing subsidy and reviewing future governance. The preferred option includes reconfiguration of visitor routes, a new café with terrace overlooking the park, and an extension housing a lift and special exhibitions gallery to national museum standards. In our proposal, the archive stores are condensed using roller racking and this releases space for additional income generation from residential units and a function room.
Bruce Castle Museum Haringey, London London Borough of Haringey
Theatre Royal York York Theatre Royal Our brief was to improve the quality of the audience and artist experience at the Grade II* listed theatre and secure its financial viability well into the 21st century. A new animated and welcoming foyer space is formed and refurbishments highlight the space’s original design and improve all-day usability. Within the main theatre space, we proposed steeply raked demountable stalls that enhance the relationship between actor and audience and enable a variety of staging and seating formats to be created. Together with a new flat modular stage, these changes improve access and encourage further artistic innovation. The heating, lighting and ventilation systems are improved for better comfort and ambience and increased environmental sustainability.
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