Press Releases

Birmingham School of Acting gets a new identity

Wednesday 17th January 2007

Office transformation specialist Morgan Lovell has created a stunning multi-million pound facility for the Birmingham School of Acting, a faculty of the University of Central England.

Following a rigorous 16-week build programme, the team from Morgan Lovell has transformed 25,000sq ft of former retail units at Birmingham’s Millennium Point into a contemporary and spacious self-contained facility for the school, helping it to start a new chapter in its history. 

After spending 10 years at its previous location in Paradise Circus, the school wanted a state-of-the-art facility to help house the acting talent of the future and reflect the importance of the school in the UK acting world. 

David Henderson, Morgan Lovell’s group managing director explains the project.  He said: “The structural elements involved in the Birmingham School of Acting had greater implications than most projects.  The requirements of the design meant we were tasked with creating 10 studios, a professional performance studio, classrooms, offices, shower rooms, toilets and breakout zones throughout the self contained facility. 

“Aspects such as acoustics had an unprecedented impact upon other features and therefore forced us to take a step back and reconsider all elements of the transformation. Each performance room had to be designed to offer exact acoustics, through the use of sound absorbent materials in the wall and ceiling panelling as well as using sound absorbent curtains.  In turn this impacted on features such as the heating and air conditioning system, which all had to be built into the design without impacting upon acoustics.”

The Morgan Lovell team also created a 300sq ft performance studio at the heart of the school.  Featuring professional lighting and sound equipment, the studio is representative of a real theatre stage and allows the 130 students who study at the school to learn the basics of stage management, including all technical aspects. The performance studio also features an integrated control room from which the students control all lighting and sound within the studio.

Many of the studios also feature sprung floors for dance and movement classes.  Created from recycled tyres, the sprung floor is indicative of the Morgan Lovell ethos, which includes creating environmentally sound offices and facilities.  Other materials including concrete and plaster board were all sourced from environmentally ethical companies to ensure the refurbishment of the school lessens the impact upon the environment.

Rachel Jennings, registrar at the Birmingham School of Acting, said: “The new facility has really allowed us to stand out.  The contemporary design reflects the nature of the school and the new premises not only provide a suitable setting for the students but it also makes it much easier for us to teach.  Being a self-contained unit means we feel more unified as a school and the overall design gives us an identity we can be truly proud of.

“Morgan Lovell totally understood the brief – for a bright and contemporary interior – and has made it a reality beyond any of our expectations.”

Another feature of the school that makes it stand out from its competitors is the eye-catching frontage situated in the main atrium at Millennium Point.  The glass that wraps around the facade has been transformed by the addition of full length, three-dimensional stills from the school’s productions and films.  A plasma screen is situated at the heart of these windows, where videos of previous performances and information about the Birmingham School of Acting can be viewed.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

Located in London, Bristol, Birmingham and Wokingham, Morgan Lovell is the UK’s leading office interior design, fit out and refurbishment specialist. With its own teams of surveyors, designers, builders and mechanical and electrical experts, the company can design, manage and deliver entire projects, with the benefit of just one point of contact. 

It is a member of Morgan Sindall plc, the construction group, which has four specialist divisions of fit out, construction, infrastructure services and affordable housing.