Brixton House by Foster Wilson Size brings a new contemporary purpose-built theatre to South London and provides a new home for the iconic and pioneering Ovalhouse Theatre company. The project includes two fully accessible, flexible auditoria, seating 200 and 120 people respectively and seven flexible rehearsal rooms. Also included in the building programme is a large public café foyer and two floors of creative workspace.
The exterior features a lightweight, anodized aluminium façade incorporating a range of coloured LED lighting and signage. The façade relates to the adjacent industrial architecture of the Brixton markets and railway, and the early street lighting of nearby electric Avenue. On the upper levels, black anodised fins lend depth and modulation to the façade, providing a dynamic appearance that changes as one moves around the building. The fins also serve to conceal the programmable LED lighting that affords a variety of subtle lighting effects.
The foyer at the heart of the building includes a large reception counter and café bar that is open to the public throughout the day. Glazing at ground level affords good views from the streetscape into the activities of the theatre. A pink cantilevered staircase rises from the foyer to the top of the building, while a mural by local artist Damilola Odusote encompasses the walls at the arrival point of each level. Raw materials are specified throughout for a robust and contemporary studio feel.
The rear of the building also has a robust feel in keeping with the working nature of Railway Yard and the adjacent railway and brick walls of Carlton Mansions. The yard is flexibly designed for a variety of uses including food stalls, outdoor theatre performances, set making and rehearsal workshops. A small public square outside the foyer doubles as an outdoor performance space.
