Charcoalblue Projects Win Civic Trust Awards

	Charcoalblue consulted on the restoration for the Grade I listed Newcastle Theatre Royal, which has been recognized with a Civic Trust Award.

Two of theatre consultancy Charcoalblue's major projects, The New Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury and The Newcastle Theatre Royal, have won recognition from the prestigious Civic Trust Awards, which were held at City Hall in Cardiff and supported by Cardiff Council.

In total 86 projects were chosen to receive an award or commendation from 263 national and international entries. The Marlowe Theatre Canterbury was one of just 32 projects to win a coveted award, while Newcastle Theatre was one of just 46 to receive a commendation.

The award-winning Marlowe reopened in October 2011 following a major renovation, which saw Charcoalblue work hand-in-hand with the client and Keith Williams Architects to help clarify and develop their vision. This included developing and refining the auditoria, foyers, and back-of-house areas, and the design of completely new technical facilities including scenic flying, stage lighting, and audiovisual systems.

"The result was a building, which today can as easily accommodate opera, ballet, dance, and musicals as it can pantomime, popular concerts, and drama," explains managing partner Andy Hayles.

Meanwhile commendation-winning Newcastle Theatre Royal reopened just one month earlier, following a painstaking and extensive £5 million restoration project. Head of theatre design for Charcoalblue, Gavin Green discusses: "The restoration for this Grade I listed theatre included complete redecoration, new seating, new and refurbished pit lifts, new lighting positions, and extensive rewiring. Charcoalblue was responsible for designing all the technical systems and ensuring their integration within the historic fabric of the building, plus advising on sightlines and seating layouts."

"We're over the moon that these two projects have been recognized by The Civic Trust," says Hayles. "Both are very close to our hearts and each drew on different elements of the expertise of our team. Besides actually seeing these buildings successfully in use, seeing them recognized for their standard of architecture and design, sustainability, inclusive design and social, cultural, environmental, and economic impact plus their benefit to the local community is absolutely the next best thing!"

And it's not the first time Charcoalblue's projects have been recognized by the Civic Trust Awards. In 2012, three of the company's projects won prestigious gongs at this year's Civic Trust Awards ceremony: the radically transformed Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the dramatic Corby Cube, and the tranquil Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield.

Awards were presented to the best new buildings, public spaces, restorations, and public art by Civic Trust Awards patron, architect, and TV-presenter George Clarke and Civic Trust Awards managing director Malcolm Hankey.