It looks a little as though a relative of Battersea Power Station has been stranded on the South Bank of London’s River Thames. The gleaming red cube is located next to the National Theatre. The complete absence of doors and windows makes the dramatic chimneys on the corners all the more prominent. The theatre’s smallest hall, the “Cottesloe” stage, is closed for a year which is why the architects at Haworth Tompkins have created a temporary space for the intervening period. Here, the emphasis has been on recyclable materials and energy efficiency. As part of this, Troldtekt acoustic panels are made of cement and wood, LED luminaires lower energy consumption and the hall is efficiently ventilated. This explains the strange towers, which function like chimneys to create the necessary updraft.

“The coarse red wood panelling is our response to the board-marked concrete of the National Theatre, a masterpiece of brutalism that is either loved or hated,” is how Haworth Tompkins explain their design. The signal red stands for the theatre’s new focus as it seeks to make a name for itself as a younger, more experimental stage. This is also highlighted by the flexible, octagonal space, which can be swiftly converted for different types of performance. Based on ideas by theatre planners Charcoalblue, the result is an intimate stage space for an audience of 225 that, given their proximity to the spectators, is a real challenge for performers. Arup Acoustic ensured the acoustics are perfect by using 1,100 square meters of ultra-fine Troldtekt acoustic panels together with 100% PEFC-certified panels painted black in the main auditorium. A nice touch of continuity is expressed by using the chairs from the original Cottesloe theatre in this temporary space.