Theatr Clwyd

Philip Vile

• Architects

Haworth Tompkins has recently completed the transformation of Wales’ largest producing theatre, Theatr Clwyd, a Grade II-listed theatre and cultural centre in Mold, North Wales. The major redevelopment transforms the landmark 1970s arts complex into a vibrant, sustainable and accessible civic destination, equipped to support professional productions, participatory work, education and serve its local community for generations to come.

Theatr Clwyd sits on a hillside above the town of Mold and was built as a regional arts centre to provide cultural opportunities for people living in North Wales. It was originally designed to accommodate multiple performance spaces, TV studios, a gallery and function rooms. Designed by R.W.Harvey, the county architect for Flintshire, the building was opened as ‘Clwyd Theatre and Educational Technology Centre’ on the 21st May 1976, by Queen Elizabeth II.

Haworth Tompkins was appointed in 2017 to lead a comprehensive redevelopment of the 10,000 sqm sprawling complex, addressing the building’s end of life mechanical and electrical services, fragmented inaccessible public spaces and deteriorating staff working conditions while safeguarding the building’s historic character. In upgrading and expanding the original 70s building to make it more welcoming and technically capable, our approach was to open the building up to its extraordinary rural landscape setting and enable a more technically sophisticated and adaptable environment for contemporary theatre.

At the heart of the transformation is a new, south-west facing, three-storey glazed foyer extension, which creates a visible and welcoming entrance. Arranged over three levels with a central atrium, the daylight-filled foyer brings together a reception, café, restaurant and generous public circulation routes which offer expansive views across the Clwydian countryside. The foyer acts as a covered public square: a place to meet, work, eat and spend time beyond attending a performance.

Internally, the redevelopment reorganises the convoluted and restrictive 70s circulation into intuitive and generous routes centred around an internal “street” connecting the theatre’s performance spaces, visual art gallery and public facilities. Alongside three performance spaces, an events room and a cinema, the building now includes rehearsal rooms, studios, making workshops, artist spaces, a restaurant and bar, significantly improved backstage areas and dedicated community spaces. A new scenic workshop extension allows - for the first time in the building’s history - all the production teams to work together on site, while a public viewing walkway provides audiences with a glimpse of the extraordinary sets and props that are made on site.

Accessibility has been a central priority throughout the project. The redevelopment introduces new lifts, step-free routes across all levels, additional wheelchair positions within auditoria and a Changing Places facility. Dedicated community spaces, play areas and sensory gardens further extend the theatre’s role as a welcoming civic resource for audiences of all ages and abilities.

Rather than demolish and rebuild, the design adopts a deep retrofit strategy, retaining the majority of the existing concrete structure and brick envelop, with minimal extensions, minimising embodied carbon. A holistic approach supported the building’s operational decarbonisation by reducing energy demand through fabric improvements, passive design, optimised building services, replacement of gas boilers, integration of air source heat pumps, on-site PVs and a renewable energy tariff.

Public consultation played a vital role in shaping the redevelopment, with over 22,000 survey responses helping guide priorities for accessibility, community use and sustainability. The project was delivered through a phased construction programme, allowing the theatre to maintain artistic activity throughout the works.

The redevelopment arrives as Theatr Clwyd celebrates its 50th anniversary, marking a new chapter in the theatre’s history as a cultural centrepiece for performance, learning and community life in North Wales.

photo_credit Theatr Weston — Theatr Weston

Team:

Design Team
Architects: Haworth Tompkins
Client: Theatr Clwyd & Flintshire County Council
Structural Engineer: Betts Associates
Services Engineer: Skelly & Couch
Theatre & Acoustic Consultant: Charcoalblue
Project Manager: Plann
Main Contractor: Gilbert Ash
Access Consultant: HADA
Fire Consultant: OFR
Design Consultancy: Studio Three Sixty
Landscape Design: Studio Bristow
Wayfinding Consultant: Studio Mothership
Breeam Assessor: WYG/Tetra Tech
Catering Consultant: Keith Winton Design
Restaurant Design: Rosendale Design

Bar tiling Frances Priest
Foyer mirror piece Manon Awst
Foyle Room curtain Sauda Imam
Sinema foyer murals Jude Rogers, Catrin James and Studio Mothership
Trail of ravens Huw Davies

Photography: Philip Vile, Mark Carline, Fred Howarth, Haworth Tompkins

Materials Used:

Constructional Timber
Ideal Combi
Schüco
Clark door
LSI Projects
Centre-stage
Hakwood
Troldtekt
Rheinzink
Jakob
Race Furniture
Rob Featherstone McIntyre