Back to Life: Holmes Miller to lead the major reinvention of Leith Theatre
Holmes Miller has been appointed as lead architect for the ambitious reinvention of Edinburgh’s iconic Leith Theatre. The project will breathe new life into the 1932 landmark, creating a world-class mid-sized performance venue and cultural hub for live music and beyond.
Working alongside Narro Structural Engineers, Hawthorne Boyle Services Engineers, and Doig + Smith Quantity Surveyors, with specialist input from New Acoustics and Charcoal Blue, the design team will deliver a venue that celebrates heritage while embracing innovation.
Lead Architect Steven Coulson had the following to say about this exciting project;
“Firstly, it is a genuine pleasure to be able to work with a client team who so obviously love and respect the Leith Theatre building. The Leith Theatre Trust hold a core value to maintain the heritage Integrity and beauty of the existing 1932 building. This respect for history is balanced against a highly aspirational and inspiring client brief, which aims not just to refurbish the Theatre, but to reinvent it.
As architects, we relish the opportunity to breathe new life into a meaningful cultural and community landmark. I personally am excited about making a building fit for everyone. This will include breaking down barriers to attendance – physical, accessibility, psychological or status, so that we can reunite this remarkable building, originally gifted to the people of Leith, back to the whole community.”
Holmes Miller will bring to bear experience gained on successful heritage refurbishments of Paisley Town Hall and Watford Town Hall, both of which are performing arts venues of significant historic and cultural value. Our team have experience in unlocking the potential in rigid Classical building layouts, so we are confident we can rise to the challenge of injecting some much needed flexibility and innovation into the Leith Theatre building.
Our technical approach to this project will be twofold:
Sensitive Conservation: we plan to focus on a sensitive approach, studying and understanding the heritage language of the building so that new interventions can be complimentary and appropriate. We will not seek to preserve every part of the existing building as a static artefact. We will analyse each part of the building to identify the significant elements that contribute to the building’s allure, while areas of lesser value can be explored as potential avenues for positive change.
Sustainable Design: we are also committed to the principles of delivering sustainable architecture. For us sustainable building design is good sense, an aspiration to build to the highest quality possible, with maximum environmental, social and economic benefit. So, it is of importance to us that we undertake a fabric-first approach to analyse and improve the building energy use.
Our vision is to celebrate the theatre’s unique heritage while creating a vibrant, welcoming and accessible space for everyone. By combining restoration with creativity, we aim to ensure Leith Theatre once again thrives as a dynamic live venue.
The vision is clear; “Back to Life: The Theatre that isn’t just a Theatre.”
Click here for Leith Theatre’s news item ‘Introducing our Architect Design Team’
Photo by Gaelle Beri
Photo by Ryan Buchanan
Photo by Paul Hollingwood
Photo by Collin Hattersley