LAMDA London : Architecture Information + Images

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Hammersmith, west London Niall McLaughlin Architects Budget: £10M Area: 1,750sqm In 2002 LAMDA made the decision to move their teaching school and theatre to a new site in Hammersmith. They purchased the old Royal Ballet School site between the Talgarth Road and the Piccadilly Line. They chose Niall McLaughlin Architects in an architectural competition. We were appointed to work with LAMDA over an eight-year period to help plan the phased transfer and occupation of the new site. In 2003 we master planned the site and carried out the refurbishment of the existing buildings. The school was moved in on time for the new teaching year. Now, four years later, we are building twelve new teaching studios, a training theatre and ancillary accommodation. The site is positioned between a six-lane highway and a railway line. It presents considerable problems for a teaching environment, including traffic noise, railway noise and pollution. At the same time, it is an extraordinarily high profile location with great visibility. We have designed an inexpensive building that relishes the gritty urban qualities of its location and produces robust, calm spaces for learning. We recently achieved planning consent for this project. London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts image / information from Niall McLaughlin Architects