Haworth Tompkins’ Modular Auditorium named AJ100 Innovation of the Year

Haworth Tompkins’ 600-seat theatre within the wider AHMM and Derwent London-developed Soho Place on Tottenham Court Road, wowed theatre critics when it opened last autumn. Now, the innovation behind it has wowed the AJ100 judges, who were enthused by the potential of its flexible, modular system to give theatre a new lease of life here and abroad.

Designed to offer audiences an alternative to the poor acoustics and limited sightlines and legroom often found elsewhere in the West End, the Soho Place theatre is formed of a highly flexible modular kit of parts, the latest iteration of a system developed by Haworth Tompkins through R&D and the delivery of earlier schemes, such as the Bridge Theatre in Southwark.

Working with US engineer and manufacturer Tait Towers and theatre consultant Charcoalblue, Haworth Tompkins conceived a highly compact, multi-tiered modular steel structure that could be deployed around three or four sides of a central seating, standing or performing space. This system enables numerous different capacities, staging options and seating formats, all carefully arranged to maximise the experience of the audience. Wiring runs, ventilation ducts and hard-wired infrastructure are incorporated into the units in the factory, simplifying construction on site and improving quality control.

The system’s level of efficiency and precision also means steel is used sparingly, reducing embodied carbon. And, because the system is modularised to container lengths for ease of shipping and assembly on site, there are now worldwide opportunities to construct high-quality standalone auditoria of 400-1,200 seats, the practice says.

Source:Philip Vile

The judges agreed that Haworth Tompkins had applied its architectural skills to help develop a clever and efficient product with huge potential. ‘They are brilliant theatre designers … who were able to work with manufacturers who could provide a critical element,’ said one judge. ‘Their skill as architects has really been applied to the product.’ Another remarked: ‘What I love about this is that London is the greatest city on earth for theatre and Haworth Tompkins are the greatest theatre designers in this country. Hopefully this can facilitate small-scale fringe theatres all over the world. What a great legacy that would be.’

Highly commended: tp bennett for AD Lib online materials and products platform

AD Lib, a resources database with ‘environmental sustainability and social responsibility at its heart’, is intended to give architects and designers a holistic understanding of a product or material’s performance and impact on the planet and society. While the platform is in its infancy, it is already beginning to make waves and the AJ100 judges were keen to recognise its bold and simple knowledge-sharing vision, saying it showed ‘real promise’.

One judge commented: ‘They’ve just got to make sure they have robust verification of product provenance. As long as they’ve got that, they will end up with something that’s fantastic.’