The £7m renovation will include a new 400 seat state–of-the-art community theatre, a 140 capacity studio venue and a 70-seat cinema.

 

A new café and entrance area will be housed in a contemporary planar-glazed extension to the front of the building. The project will be completed in the autumn 2011.

 

Carolyn Merrifield, director at Holder Mathias Architects, said: “We have worked closely with Neath Port Talbot Council to deliver designs that fully expresses its desire for a top-quality cultural venue in one of Neath’s  landmark buildings. The designs were developed to help the council provide a focal point for the community in Neath and across the whole county.”

 

Gwyn Hall was built in 1887 on land donated by local dignitary Howel Gwyn. It was originally designed by London architect John Norton, and used as a music hall and council meeting venue. This was undergoing a major refurbishment when only a couple of months from completion when it was ravaged by fire in 2007.

 

It is still owned by Neath Port Talbot Council, which commissioned the work.

 

Gareth Nutt, Head of Property and Architectural Services at Neath Port Talbot Council said, “The council is very pleased with the design by Holder Mathias which cleverly integrates a modern cultural venue into the traditional listed building retaining and enhancing the listed facade and producing a landmark venue for the community of Neath Port Talbot.

 

The original roof line of the building and its fine chimneys which were destroyed in the fire will be restored to ensure that the Gwyn Hall retains its landmark status for the town.

 

However the new building will be far more sustainable than the original with natural ventilation and lighting features integrated into the original fabric, including the introduction of a 20metre long ridge vent and rooflights to the top floor to flood this space with natural light.

 

The gutting of the building during the fire also allows the new auditorium to be relocated on the ground floor, providing a more accessible multi-use theatre that everyone can enjoy. The second floor of the building has been ingeniously raised up at the sides to allow the original full length windows to be brought back to their former glory and enjoyed from within the auditorium. The cinema, located in a smaller acoustic pod on the second floor, will allow the new flexible- use studio alongside to benefit from the natural light and open volume of the entire roof space within which it sits.

 

The ancillary ‘back of house’ features are housed in a simple extension at the rear of the building, leaving the new glazed public areas to the front to enliven the street and provide a lively café/ bar and box office.

 

Merrifield continued: “This is an important cultural icon for the town, and we wanted to ensure that we retained the essence of the original building as a place where people can enjoy themselves whilst bringing the building into the 21^st century.  

 

“Prior to refurbishment, the hall was quite run-down, with a traditional music hall –style theatre which limited the type of productions which could be staged. The new designs use the full space of the shell, allowing us to put in a full flexible theatre and allow Gwyn Hall to achieve its potential as a modern arts venue.”

 

The project manager is EC Harris.

 

Holder Mathias is a RIBA chartered practice and is listed in the Architects’ Journal’s Top 100 list. The practice specialises in retail, leisure, healthcare, education, metropolitan residential, workplace and offices, and major mixed-use regeneration schemes. Its portfolio spans the UK, Europe and beyond.

29/04/2010