It's rare for school campuses to have their own performance centres and even rarer for these to be set within beautiful natural settings, such as the green Berkshire countryside; yet this new project by Studio Seilern Architects for Wellington College ticks both boxes. The £15m GW Annenberg Performing Arts Centre has just been launched at the English independent day and boarding school.
The architects' design was inspired by historical Greek amphitheatres; wood-clad and circular in form the building feels natural and inclusive. The circular 1,400-seat theatre also allows ‘young performers not to feel overwhelmed by a large auditorium', add the architects.
This new cultural venue in Berkshire is inspired by historic Greek amphitheatres.
Careful consideration to acoustics, circulation and detailing – for example, the auditorium's balcony fronts have been designed as an evolving surface to reflect and scatter sound – ensures a high quality performance arena for the students. The building's foyer doubles as a ‘cultural living room', say the architects, which provides an area for dialogue and meetings around arts and events, as well as impromptu performances.
The impressive, dusky coloured façade is constructed from charred timber, using a Japanese method known as shou sugi ban – which is a natural treatment. Meanwhile, the vertical planks reflect the verticality of the trees from the surrounding woods.
Mixing state-of-the-art design and technology with a sensitive approach towards its forest setting, the new performance centre at Wellington College is set to be a valuable addition to student life, enhancing creativity and cultural exchange – but ‘will also bring together our local community and our many partnership schools', adds Julian Thomas, headmaster of Wellington.
The impressive, timber-clad structure is set within a tree-filled site.
Seilern’s architecture blends effortlessly with the natural context.
The project includes a 1,400 capacity auditorium.
The building was designed not to be intimidating to young performers.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of Studio Seilern Architects
-
This surreal new seafood restaurant in LA is the stuff of mermaid's dreamsAt Cento Raw Bar, delectable fare is complemented by playful, oceanic interiors by Brandon Miradi
-
What’s new in the wearable world of smart glasses, and extended and augmented realityAre you ready for AR? Meta, Google, Snap and more are gearing up to compete with Apple and deliver frames-based communications devices – complete with AI integration
-
Italian-Japanese fusion’s a joy at east London’s Osteria AngelinaA Victorian warehouse in Spitalfields has been given a slick modern makeover to house a unique Italian-Japanese restaurant
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshopNew Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Lego and Serpentine celebrate World Play Day with a new pavilionLego and Serpentine have just unveiled their Play Pavilion; a colourful new structure in Kensington Gardens in London and a gesture that celebrates World Play Day (11 June)
-
Inside Abbey Road's refresh: touring the legendary studio's new interiorAbbey Road gets an interior refresh by Threefold Architects, bringing the legendary London recording studio in tune with the 21st century
-
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready to visit, ‘an exhibition you can use’The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready for its public opening on 6 June; we toured the structure and spoke to its architect, Marina Tabassum
-
A meticulously crafted artist’s space in east London evokes the area’s long creative historyMaich Swift Architects’ artist’s space has radically reconfigured a Victorian terraced house, transforming it into a contemporary live/work interior
-
Welcome to Omved Gardens, north London’s hidden green oasisThis secret space in Highgate is relaunching as a vibrant community hub with new spaces, activities and exhibitions
-
This contemporary cabin cantilevers over a Scottish lochRock Cove, Cameron Webster Architects’ contemporary cabin in Argyll, Scotland, makes the most of its wild setting
