The brief for this project was to design a contemporary insertion for a children's theatre in the ruins of an Abbey. My concept is derived from the idea that children enjoy finding out the secrets of a performance and learning how things are produced. I used this idea of revealing secrets in the design of the Abbey through the use of materials becoming more revealing as the journey through the space progresses. Also, by designing each aspect as having a second hidden use that would be revealed as the audience reached the end of their journey.
I wanted to make sure that the insertion was respectful to its surroundings and that the remaining details of the Abbey were celebrated. I used a material palette that reflected its context and was similar to surrounding historic buildings. I also placed the new openings around the existing ones so you could engage with the design details and respect them.
Initial site survey
