LAMDA: London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art

A 5,500m², three- and four-storey building to replace more modest, run-down existing premises. It includes a 230-seat Simon Sainsbury Theatre, flexible 120-seat Carne Studio, backstage facilities, soundproofed TV/film/audio suite, teaching block with ten studios, student changing facilities, administrative offices, library and study centre, kitchen, café, toilets and stores.

The superstructure of the four-storey theatre was designed on a multi-level steel-frame structure with slim deck flooring. It sits on acoustic bearings and acoustic decking to counter the noise and vibrations from adjacent District and Piccadilly Lines. The dance studios block is 3-storey with reinforced concrete structure with pre-cast floors on piled foundations.

With an internally expressed structure and consistently integrated styling, the building required close attention to detail and ongoing liaison with the architect. (Photographs courtesy of Níall McLaughlin Architects and Taylor & Boyd)

Click to expand the photos below