G. W. Annenberg Performing Arts Centre, Wellington College

Wellington College was founded in 1859 in honour of ‘The Iron Duke’ – Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington and twice Prime Minister – to educate the orphan sons of army officers. Since then the college has become co-educational and is home to 1,045 pupils.

Voted "The Most Forward-Thinking School in the UK" in 2013 by The Week, the college prides itself as a progressive educator, supporting student-run creative enterprise including a 24-hour radio station, campus newspaper and its own television channel. The performing arts also play a large role in student life with over a third of students participating in Drama. In 2018 the school fulfilled a long-held ambition, the opening of a new 900-seat auditorium in which to stage its packed annual schedule of shows.

The G.W. Annenberg Performing Arts Centre forms the heart of a new ‘cultural quarter’ for the school, set within its 400-acre woodland estate. Inspired by Grecian amphitheatres, the circular structure is clad in charred-timber, set in relief against the college’s Victorian buildings. The design by Studio Seilern Architects resolves a complicated relationship between the undulating landscape and accessibility to the site and the college’s existing Christopher Lee Theatre. A ‘cultural living room’, a bright, glass-fronted multi-functional space, bridges the two performance spaces.

The new 2,580m² auditorium has the highest acoustic, audiovisual and stagelighting specification at its core. We worked with the architect, college and The Bush Consultancy to realise the vision for the space, installing a new powered flying system, high level walkways which will give access to the new lighting and sound infrastructure and a new orchestra pit formed from demountable rostra.