A new €16,84m (£15m) GW Annenberg Performing Arts Centre has opened at Wellington College in Berkshire. The main 1,400 capacity auditorium’s circular shape is inspired by historic Greek amphitheatres, creating a building with no angles: a form that sits within its forest setting. Designed by Studio Seilern Architects with high quality acoustics and efficient circulation in mind, the Performance Arts Centre is the venue for students to showcase their creative talents in a formal setting.
The shape of the auditorium was chosen to give an intimacy to the performance. This was important both from an audience point of view but also to allow young performers not to feel overwhelmed by a large auditorium. The theatre allows them to feel close and supported by their friends and the wider school community.
 
The auditorium balcony fronts have been designed as an evolving surface that reflects and scatters the sound to maximise the theatrical experience.

In addition to the auditorium, Studio Seilern Architects designed a “Cultural Living Room” space which doubles as a foyer and a creative hub for the arts:  a place that can cater for exhibitions, smaller impromptu performances, creative teaching and cultural gatherings. Fronted by a glass façade, it is transparent and open to the wider campus, giving an active frontage and a face to Wellington’s artistic activities.
 
The buildings are clad in stained timber, sitting softly alongside the dark bark vernacular textures.
 
The building has been named as the winner of the ‘Best Building in Education’ category at the World Architecture Festival.
 

Description of project by Studio Seilern Architects

Many institutes of learning now seek to educate through self-discovery, enabling students to consider what makes them who they are, so they may begin to take responsibility for their own development. The design for Wellington College’s new Cultural Quarter, consists of a new 1,400 capacity Performance Arts Centre and a 'cultural living room’, a space where students are inspired, and their education can flourish, both through formal and spontaneous performances.
 
Beyond the project brief, the auditorium of the Performance Arts Centre was to overcome the obstacle of the ‘sunken effect’ of the existing theatre, caused by level differences in the terrain. This was tackled by providing a longer ramp that softly winds around the circumference of the amphitheatre, not only creating an interactive approach but also a vibrant front to the campus.

By situating the Cultural Quarter of the college between a dense forest and beautiful historic Victorian buildings, approaching students are met with a construction of charred wood that gives the impression of having emerged from the surrounding woods.
 
The main auditorium’s circular shape is inspired by historic Grecian amphitheatres, creating a building with no angles: a form that sits softly within the forest landscape. Designed with high quality acoustics and efficient circulation in mind, this Performance Arts Centre is the venue for students to showcase their creative talents in a formal setting. The buildings are clad in charred timber, sitting softly alongside the dark bark vernacular textures. The auditorium balcony fronts have been designed as an evolving surface that reflects and scatters the sound to maximise the theatrical experience.
 
Attached to the auditorium SSA placed the new Cultural Living Room, a 'public square' between the campus and the forest which connects the Performance Arts Centre with the existing theatre. This space is not limited by its four walls, rather it is a public space that is vibrant, open, filled with natural light and boasting a large window overlooking the forest, inhabited by students of the arts.
 
When entering the Cultural Living Room, the heart of the Cultural Quarter, students will be met with spontaneous exhibitions, performances or social gatherings all set against an inspiring forest backdrop. By allowing music, dance and theatrical rehearsal to be integrated within this Cultural Living Room, it becomes a space for artistic happenings, as well as a social hub for the creative community of Wellington College.

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Architects
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Studio Seilern Architects
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Client
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Wellington College
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Area
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2580m²
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Dates
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2017
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Consultans
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Theatre consultants.- Charcoalblue. Landscpae Design.- Todd Longstaffe-Gowan. Acoustic Consultants.- BickerdlikeAllen.
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Christina Seilern, Principal, Studio Seilern Architects, established London-based creative practice Studio Seilern Architects in 2006. She tackles a range of projects from large scale city masterplans, down to the more intricate scale of furniture and light fitting design, both the emerging and developed markets.

Prior to establishing Studio Seilern Architects, Christina Seilern was the founding director of Rafael Viñoly Architects (RVA) and was responsible for key projects such as the Walkie Talkie in London, the Curve Performing Arts Centre in Leicester, Mahler 4 tower in Amsterdam, or Wageningen University Plant Research Centre in the Netherlands.  SSA was established with the intent of continuing the strong design ethos developed during Christina’s time at RVA. Her diverse portfolio includes RIBA-award winning projects such as Gota House in Zimbabwe, Ansdell Street in Kensington, a world-class concert hall in the swiss alpine village of Andermatt, award-winning Wellington College Performing Arts Centre in Berkshire, and Boksto 6 masterplan – a UNESCO heritage site in Vilnius, Lithuania
 
She is a frequent panellist and guest speaker both in the UK and abroad and is also a regular juror for the AR MIPIM Awards, World Architecture Festival, the RIBA EyeLine, LEAF Awards and PAD London.
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Published on: November 19, 2018
Cite: "New Performing Arts Centre at Wellington College by Studio Seilern Architects" METALOCUS. Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/new-performing-arts-centre-wellington-college-studio-seilern-architects> ISSN 1139-6415
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