Southbank Centre – Repair and Maintenance Project

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Refurbishing and re-working the Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall at Southbank Centre involved close examination of the existing structural archive calculations and drawings, followed by a series of careful interventions to bring these famous Brutalist buildings up to 21st century standards. One of the biggest structural challenges was to check, calculate and justify over a thousand new openings in the existing reinforced concrete. The project breathed new life into the Centre, making it ready for the next 50 years.

Judge's comment:

This refurbishment project clearly required a great deal of planning and foresight, supported by the original 1950s building documentation. The modernisation significantly altered the structure of the building, requiring more than 1,000 new openings through the existing reinforced concrete. The design of the vast majority of these was grouped by type, with only a handful requiring bespoke interventions. Coordination with the contractors was key to ensuring this process went smoothly.

A key detail included the cutting out and raising of an existing corbel and its adjoining wall to allow for modern accessibility requirements. This could only have been accomplished through close coordination with the client and contractor, and is clear evidence of a competent and confident design team.

This project has restored a beloved Brutalist concrete structure, with the incorporation of modern standards, and clearly demonstrates the value brought by the engineers’ involvement.