Charcoalblue at the 2023 Civic Trust Awards

The Civic Trust Awards are the longest-standing built environment awards scheme in Europe, with an aim to encourage the very best in architecture and environmental design, to improve the built environment for us all through design, sustainability, inclusiveness and accessibility, and also to reward projects that offer a positive cultural, social, economic or environmental benefit to their local communities.

This year, Charcoalblue were honored to find out that three of our projects had been shortlisted for an award; ArtsEd, The Malthouse, and Kit Kat Club at The Playhouse Theatre.

ArtsEd, Hounslow, Greater London - De Matos Ryan

Arts Educational Schools is one of the UK’s most acclaimed performance training centres. The pioneering school has embarked on an ambitious plan to bring all its operations onto its main site in South West London.

Phase 1 works included the rationalisation of the site to incorporate new academic teaching facilities and rehearsal rooms for dance, drama and musical theatre. Works involved partial demolition of existing courtyard structures, including the studio theatre, which needed replacing. In Phase 2, a new drama studio complements the Andrew Lloyd Webber Theatre that currently manages end-stage presentations with a fly tower and orchestra pit. Works allow the studio to be a flexible space for up to 25 singer-dancers when not focused on drama presentations in traverse, thrust or in-the-round configurations.

Click here to learn more.

The Malthouse, The King’s School, Canterbury - Tim Ronalds Architects

The revitalised Malthouse gives the Drama Department the facilities it needs to stage more adventurous productions in-house, opportunities for all students to be involved with every aspect of the performing arts and provides a fantastic facility for the local community.

Charcoalblue collaborated with Tim Ronalds Architects to create an intimate courtyard-style theatre by cutting out the existing Malthouse floors in the larger, North end of the building, providing space for a two-level auditorium with a technical level and motorised fly loft above, whilst retaining and enhancing the magic and character of the Victorian building.

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Kit Kat Club at The Playhouse Theatre, London - Carmody Groarke & ATG

Working as lead consultants, providing theatre and acoustics expertise, and working in collaboration with architects Carmody Groarke, we applied a unique intervention to the Grade-II Listed Playhouse Theatre, that converted a classical proscenium arch theatre into an immersive in-the-round arrangement reminiscent of Weimar-era cabaret society for a new production of ‘Cabaret’.

Interventions to the wider building have included reinstating an accessible entrance route, implementing an exciting audience journey experience throughout the front-of-house spaces and increasing the building’s hospitality functions.

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We’re thrilled to announce that these projects have been honoured with the below awards …

Highly Commended:

Projects that make a significant contribution to the quality and appearance of the built environment. Highly Commended schemes demonstrate a good standard of architecture or design, whilst being sustainable, accessible and provide a positive civic contribution.

The Malthouse, The Kings School, Canterbury - Tim Ronalds Architects

ArtsEd, Hounslow, Greater London - De Matos Ryan

Pro Tem Award:

Temporary projects that make an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the built environment. Award-level schemes demonstrate excellence in architecture or design, whilst being sustainable, accessible and provide a positive civic contribution.

Kit Kat Club at The Playhouse Theatre, London - Carmody Groarke

Congratulations to all of the projects awarded and shortlisted at this year’s Civic Trust Awards. To see the full list of winners, click here.