The Brief:
Hull New Theatre first opened its doors as a theatre in 1939 and has since been the home of production companies from around the world.
Adjacent to the new Ron Dearing UTC, which was also under construction, Hull City Council were looking to remodel the Grade II Listed theatre to attract larger productions to the city. This meant the need to increase the capacity of the theatre seating, ancillary facilities such as bars and toilets, installing more dressing rooms, as well as increasing the height and load capacity of the fly tower.
Sewell Construction was appointed to deliver the scheme.
The Solution:
The process of the scheme development through Esteem necessitates a collaborative approach with extensive amounts of engagement throughout the project.
The building was not in use throughout the project, although there was an operational fire station for part of the build period behind the existing building alongside the site entrance, which required access and egress to be maintained at all times in order that response times weren’t affected across the city whilst the fire station was operational.
The significant amount of asbestos removal and demolition of existing buildings was carried out in a condensed period of time, necessitating detailed planning and tight control measures to be implemented so as not to affect the surrounding Kingston Square buildings and residences in the Georgian Quarter of the City Centre
Delivery:
The Results:
The scheme was delivered on time, on budget and with zero accidents.
74% of spend in the Yorkshire Region.
The refurbishment of Hull New Theatre was highly commended and recognised at the RICS awards in May 2018.
The Royal Ballet was the first to perform in the newly refurbished theatre in September 2017.