Regents Park Open Air Theatre, 2012

The Open Air Theatre, originally designed by the respected British architects Howell, Killick, Partridge and Amis, is a successful London producing house as well as a much loved visitor attraction throughout the summer. Hidden by mature landscape from all sides, the theatrical experience relies on a sense of discovery, of entering a different world within the everyday surroundings of the park. Working with landscape architect Camlin Lonsdale, the first phase of work reconfigured the foyer and front of house areas to create picnic lawns, a new studio for rehearsal, performance, events and catering, sheltered seating areas and a long, covered bar amongst the mature Horse Chestnut trees. A language of planted trellises and woven hazel façades was used to merge architecture and natural landscape into a single, seamless environment. A second phase has added new offices and back of house facilities amongst the trees and a new box office and entrance building, enabling the organisation to remain resident on the site throughout the year for the first time. The new buildings are made of prefabricated timber panels for clean, fast construction and low carbon use. Using a combination of unfinished and dark stained Larch for the external skins, the structures are already growing back into the landscape that envelops them.