Haworth Tompkins Ltd

Battersea Arts Centre

Battersea Arts Centre
© Philip Vile

BATTERSEA ARTS CENTRE

Haworth Tompkins

ARCHITECTS
Haworth Tompkins

ACOUSTIC ENGINEER
Gillieron Scott Acoustic Design, Sound Space Design

LIGHT FITTINGS
Haworth Tompkins, Rob McIntyre

SERVICES ENGINEERS
Skelly & Couch, XCO2

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
Price & Myers, Heyne Tillett Steel

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Steve Tompkins, Martin Lydon, Imogen Long

THEATRE CONSULTANT
Charcoalblue, Theatreplan

SIGNAGE
Jake Tilson

MANUFACTURERS
KEIM, Domus Tiles, Hakwood, Triple E, Yannedis, Modular Clay Products

QUANTITY SURVEYOR
Bristow Johnson

CONTRACTOR
8Build, Gilbert-Ash

AREA
3800 m²

YEAR
2018

LOCATION
London, United Kingdom

CATEGORY
Visual Arts Center, Adaptive Reuse

Text description provided by architect.

Architects Haworth Tompkins have completed a 12-year transformation of the Grade II* listed Battersea Arts Centre.

Battersea Arts Centre
© Philip Vile
Battersea Arts Centre
© Philip Vile
Battersea Arts Centre
© Philip Vile

Begun as an extended, improvisatory collaboration with artists, theatre producers and the local community, the entire former town hall building is now in use for creative and community activity.

Increasing the number of performance spaces from 4 to 35 and incorporating artists’ bedrooms, a new rooftop office and staff garden, a creative business hub, a community allotment and an outdoor theatre.

Architect and client worked as equal partners throughout the process, sharing design authorship and inviting creative collaborations.

Battersea Arts Centre
© Philip Vile
Battersea Arts Centre
© Philip Vile
Battersea Arts Centre
© Fred Howarth

Following a devastating fire three years ago, the famous Grand Hall has been radically re-imagined as a 21st-century performance space, allowing the organization to host bigger productions, community celebrations and revenue generating events.

A new bar installation by artist Jake Tilson records the evidence of the fire, as do the scarred, unrestored walls of the hall.

Battersea Arts Centre
© Fred Howarth
Battersea Arts Centre
© Fred Howarth

The timber lattice ceiling borrows the decorative pattern of the original plaster vault but allows far greater technical and acoustic possibilities. 

Overall, the £13m project (excluding insurance for the Grand Hall) has enabled Battersea Arts Centre to fulfill its mission as a more resilient, more inclusive and more accessible civic space.

Battersea Arts Centre
© Philip Vile


Battersea Arts Centre
© Philip Vile
Battersea Arts Centre
© Philip Vile
Battersea Arts Centre
© Philip Vile


Battersea Arts Centre
Lower Ground Floor Plan
Battersea Arts Centre
Ground Floor Plan
Battersea Arts Centre
First Floor Plan
Battersea Arts Centre
Second Floor Plan
Battersea Arts Centre
Roof Plan
Battersea Arts Centre
Grand Hall Reflected Ceiling Plan


Battersea Arts Centre
East Elevation
Battersea Arts Centre
North Elevation
Battersea Arts Centre
South Elevation
Battersea Arts Centre
West Elevation


Battersea Arts Centre
Longitudinal Section
Battersea Arts Centre
Grand Hall Cross Section
Battersea Arts Centre
Sections B, C and D
Battersea Arts Centre
Sections E, F, G and H
Battersea Arts Centre
Grand Hall Detail Section
Battersea Arts Centre
Grand Hall Detail Section (Descriptions)


Battersea Arts Centre
Grand Hall Latice Ceiling Diagrams
Battersea Arts Centre
Grand Hall Latice Ceiling Details
Battersea Arts Centre
Grand Hall Latice Ceiling Assembly

Haworth Tompkins Ltd
T +44 20 72503225
Haworth Tompkins Ltd
110 Golden Ln, London EC1Y 0TL, United Kingdom