THEATRE ROYAL

Theatre Royal
Glasgow

International Competition Finalist: 2009
Partner in Charge / Design Principal: Robin Lee

We are fascinated by the hidden world within the city concealed behind decorous sandstone facades. An inner world of white tiled lanes, glass roofed arcades and voluminous galleries. The sinuous movement through the city encountering these other spaces is what excites and inspires us. We consider the auditorium at Theatre Royal to be one of these magnificent hidden spaces; a magical chamber carved from the heart of a city block.

The auditorium is an enclave; within the city yet detached from it. Speaking a different language and of a different world. We are fascinated by the dichotomy between the robust, logical city fabric and the magical place of the theatre that exists within it. At the core of our approach is the desire to make explicit and legible audience experiences that choreograph the transition from the everyday city to the fantastical world of the auditorium. The new building is conceived as a place to steady the mind and prepare the focus of the audience for the performance. It would be a place composed and structured to create anticipation and expectation, curiosity and awe.

We view the world through a prism; a place between reality and imagination.

© Robin Lee Architecture 2012

NORD LLP reached the final shortlist in the international design competition for Theatre Royal in December 2009

NORD LLP was established in 2002
NORD LLP renamed to Robin Lee Architecture in 2011