David Brownlow Theatre

An auditorium, an open-air amphitheater and a large billboard in a theater built from wood and Viroc panels.

Jonathan Tuckey Design is a London architectural studio with an international reputation known for working with existing buildings and structures. It combines contemporary design with built heritage to explore the ways in which new and old can co-exist and benefit from each other. This theatre for Horris Hill School in Newbury, a town in the county of Berkshire, England, is built with cross laminated timber (CLT) and Viroc composite panels – with a mix of wood fibers and cement particles – whose reddish tones resemble those of the brick facades of surrounding buildings.

A result of an invitational competition held in 2016, the project encompasses 528 square meters and presents three principal elements: an auditorium seating 160, an open-air amphitheater; and a portico framing the main entrance and serving as a billboard announcing the shows. Inside, the structure is left visible to the eye, and grayish acoustic boards alternate with beechwood strips. The polished black Viroc floor is cut in a pattern that recalls the stone pavements of Renaissance churches. Outside school hours, the new theater will open to the local community.