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PROJECT REPORT: CULTURAL, CIVIC & FAITH BUILDINGS
© Luca Piffaretti
© Luca Piffaretti
SCREENING FOR CARBON In search of a material for a bar in the form of a screen, the architects chose an innovative carbon- absorbing polymer,
Wearepure.tech, from Barcelona
On level two a new Clore Learning Centre replaces the former member’s area supporting the training of ‘young creatives’
The key design intervention, included in the winning competition entry, was to create a new top (fourth) level for members; a complex task encompassing raising and restoring two of the building’s three original Victorian rooflight spaces. This meant uncovering and restoring decorative plasterwork and structure that had been hidden for 45 years, and which was generally assumed to have been lost.
Brief With several major heritage refurbishments in London under their belt, it was a “no brainer” for the practice to enter the competition. Inspired by their vision, BAFTA decided to invest in futureproofing the building. “They had already assessed a bunch of other relocation options, but the membership felt 195 Piccadilly was their home,” Benedetti says.
The architects iteratively developed the brief with BAFTA over the next two years, which Benedetti says was a delicate and complex process, because the architects were attempting to establish the financial as well as practical scope of the project as they developed the brief: “We were on a journey together.” Growing in confidence, the client opted to eschew a phasing approach, and instead go for ‘one-hit.’
© Jim Stephenson Design goals Achieving the right level of environmental
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
© Jim Stephenson
quality for charitable events as well as members was critical, but also creating new spaces which could be flexible for a varying pattern of day and night events. The design’s aim was to preserve but enhance the historic building’s character, which had come to embody BAFTA, and achieving the client’s mantra of “BAFTA-ness” for the new interiors. “Part of the building’s texture,” Benedetti explains, “is that the spaces can adapt to multiple uses.” But while keen to ensure flexibility, the architects wanted to avoid any sense of temporary, bland spaces, particularly with materials; “we always shied away from anything generic or ‘fashionable.’” The architects were attempting to produce a timeless set of interiors, with “a classic palette of materials, and a highly refined set of details.” BAFTA was founded in the 1940s, but the architects reached back to the 20s and 30s for inspiration, as “the heyday of British film,” when people would visit luxurious cinemas to be “transported to another world.”
Construction
The scheme received consent in 2017, together with enabling works including a substation beneath Piccadilly – providing the extra electric capacity needed by the enhanced facilities and reduced gas use in the kitchens. Designing this alongside the main refurbishment was “highly
ADF SEPTEMBER 2022
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