Perse School - Peter Hall Performing Arts Centre

This project involved designing a new Performing Arts Centre for the EPC A-rated, Perse School in Cambridge.

The centre consists of a 400-seat theatre with a rehearsal studio, classrooms, support spaces, and a foyer space including a large, day-lit rehearsal room and exhibition space. The galleried auditorium uses combined natural and mechanical ventilation and has the additional architectural, as well as engineered, feature of acoustically attenuated chimneys. A ground source heat pump installation provides simultaneous heating and cooling and there is a 13kw PV array and green roof.

Natural ventilation for the theatre throughout the year will result in lower energy usage, and for higher occupancies, ventilation will be provided through mechanical means.

The ceiling’s distinctive diagrid beams are constructed from a form of structural composite timber known as LVL, or laminated veneer lumber, a form of glulam featuring multiple layers of very thin wood bonded together.

Winner of a 2019 RIBA National and RIBA East Award. A 2019 Wood Awards and Concrete Society Awards finalist. Also shortlisted for both the 2019 Brick and Structural Timber Awards.