{"id":760791,"date":"2024-10-21T08:16:40","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T07:16:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=760791"},"modified":"2024-10-21T09:45:12","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T08:45:12","slug":"perkinswill-completes-museum-above-remains-of-shakespeare-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/perkinswill-completes-museum-above-remains-of-shakespeare-theatre","title":{"rendered":"Perkins&Will completes museum above remains of Shakespeare theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"

The museum, designed by Perkins&Will, will showcase the complete archaeological remains of the Shakespearean theatre via a floating glass viewing platform. It is set to open to the public next year.<\/p>\n

The Curtain Playhouse was first recorded as opening in 1577 and is believed to have staged the debuts of Shakespeare\u2019s plays Romeo & Juliet<\/em> and Henry V<\/em>. The theatre was the main venue for his plays before the Globe opened at the end of the 16th century and it is thought to have continued staging plays until 1624. It is one of only two scheduled ancient monuments in Hackney.<\/p>\n

The building is predominantly below ground, allowing visitors to walk over a floating glass viewing platform at the height of the original stage.<\/p>\n

Above ground, the museum\u2019s \u2018flowing\u2019 roof blends in with the landscaped plaza, optimising the experience below ground. Tiered seating above ground provides an outdoor amphitheatre.<\/p>\n

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Museum of Shakespeare amphitheatre steps<\/p>\n\t

<\/p><\/p><\/div>\n

A stainless-steel fa\u00e7ade references the \u2018stage curtain\u2019 through a ripple effect. A bird-shaped cut-out on the north fa\u00e7ade allows the public to look down into the museum, its shape inspired by a ceramic bird whistle found during excavation.<\/p>\n

As another nod to this find, a quote from Romeo and Juliet <\/em>referencing birds is etched on to the museum entrance wall using original fonts scanned from Shakespeare\u2019s First Folio.<\/p>\n

The Museum of Shakespeare forms part of a wider urban quarter in Shoreditch, the Stage, which includes offices, retail, homes, a public square and a restored Victorian railway viaduct.<\/p>\n

The archaeological site that the museum houses was uncovered during the early stages of construction. This prompted revisions to the masterplan to celebrate the remains and expand the museum.<\/p>\n

The wider scheme opens a previously impermeable site with new pedestrian routes and provides over an acre (0.4ha) of public realm, including a landscaped public plaza, amphitheatre, pocket park and play area above a restored Victorian railway viaduct.<\/p>\n

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Museum of Shakespeare interior below ground<\/p>\n\t

<\/p><\/p><\/div>\n

The development also provides over 20,500m2<\/sup> of workspace over two office buildings, as well as 412 homes, shops, restaurants and bars.<\/p>\n

As well as the masterplan, Perkins&Will delivered the detailed designs for the six buildings across the scheme.<\/p>\n

The development includes the restoration of a Victorian railway viaduct which once carried the North London Railway to Broad Street Station. This closed in the 1980s and is now the site of the Broadgate development.<\/p>\n

A pocket park with play areas, landscaping and caf\u00e9 is on top of the viaduct while the arches include retail spaces beneath. Space for a restaurant and bar is also provided in a separate building called the Pavilion.<\/p>\n

A Victorian attachment to the viaduct, known as Peter the Pleater, has also been restored. This building was previously used as workshops, warehouse and retail spaces \u2013 the name coming from a former curtain and fabric blind store at the location.<\/p>\n

The multi-million pound project got planning over 10 years ago in 2013<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Museum entrance with Shakespeare quote etched onto wall<\/p>\n\t

<\/p><\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Architect\u2019s view<\/h3>\n

Historical records always pointed to the Curtain Playhouse being close to modern-day Curtain Road in Shoreditch, east London, but the exact location was unknown, and it was unclear how much of the theatre had remained after 400 years.<\/p>\n

Archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) undertook exploratory excavation for the Stage development in 2011 and uncovered the remains of the Curtain Playhouse. This trial excavation only revealed a very small section of the Tudor building, which they initially anticipated would be oval-shaped, like the Globe. An open-area excavation, which took place in spring 2016, allowed archaeologists to expose all the surviving remains. This revealed the theatre to be a rectangular building with a long narrow stage, the earliest known example in London.<\/p>\n

When the remains were uncovered it became clear that they would need to be showcased in a museum building befitting their historic significance. Our designs for the museum and the wider masterplan had to evolve in response to our changing understanding of the archaeology, with initially modest plans for a viewing gallery evolving into the more expansive museum proposal, which would properly showcase this internationally significant monument and work as the cultural heart of the wider development.<\/p>\n

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Curtain Playhouse excavation site (credit: MOLA)<\/p>\n\t

Source:MOLA<\/p><\/div>\n

Because the archaeology is 3m below ground, much of the building is below the surface. Above ground, the museum\u2019s gently flowing roof blends in with the landscaped public plaza and the rest of the surrounding buildings, while optimising the viewing experience below ground, inside the building.<\/p>\n

The stainless-steel fa\u00e7ade is a visual reference to the ripples of a stage curtain, while a bird-shaped cut out on the north fa\u00e7ade allows the public to look down into the museum and view the archaeology. This references a ceramic bird whistle found during the excavation, which is thought to have been used for sound effects during the performance of the plays at the theatre, possibly for Romeo & Juliet<\/em>. This is also referenced through the quote from Romeo & Juliet<\/em>, which is etched onto the museum entrance wall, using original fonts scanned from Shakespeare\u2019s First Folio.<\/p>\n

Inside the museum, the archaeological remains are showcased sensitively, with a glass floating glass viewing platform at the height of the original stage, which allows visitors to walk over the remains as if they are treading on Shakespeare\u2019s stage itself.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the wider masterplan for the Stage is assembled around its heart, which is the archaeological site. It opens up a previously impermeable site with new pedestrian routes and provides over an acre of public realm for the local community, including a landscaped public plaza and a pocket park and play area above a restored Victorian railway viaduct.<\/p>\n

Located at the centre of the new public plaza, the museum is not only a visual landmark but also activates the wider development. The idea of gathering and performance was very much the inspiration for the design of the museum and plaza. The tiered seating incorporated into the structure provides an outdoor amphitheatre for the adjacent public plaza, designed to create a buzz around the site. As an international cultural destination, the museum will bring visitors to the site, bringing energy and life into the new neighbourhood.
\nMoojan Kalbasi, project director and cultural and civic lead, Perkins&Will<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Client\u2019s view<\/h3>\n

In collaboration with our partners, we are proud to showcase the significant archaeological discoveries of the Curtain Theatre to the public within the thoughtfully designed surroundings of the Museum of Shakespeare. Once open, we anticipate the historic cultural centre will enjoy a new lease of life through a dynamic and immersive museum experience at the centre of the exceptional destination we are creating at the Stage.
\nBen Tooley, managing director, Cain International<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Project data<\/h3>\n

Location <\/strong>The Stage, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3NL
\nLocal authority <\/strong>London Borough of Hackney
\nType of project <\/strong>Mixed-use (office, retail, leisure, residential, cultural, public realm)
\nStart on site<\/strong>\u00a02017
\nCompletion <\/strong>September 2024
\nGross internal floor area\u00a0<\/strong>The Hewett (office): 7,500m\u00b2, the Bard (office): 13,400m\u00b2, Pavilion Restaurant: 710m\u00b2, Pavilion Bar: 290m\u00b2, residential: 41,800m\u00b2, viaduct: 850m\u00b2, museum: 1,410m\u00b2
\nClient <\/strong>Cain International with joint venture of McCourt, Galliard Homes, Vanke and Investec
\nMasterplanner <\/strong>Perkins&Will
\nArchitect <\/strong>Perkins&Will
\nLandscape architect <\/strong>Townshend Landscape Architects
\nPlanning consultant <\/strong>Montagu Evans
\nStructural engineer <\/strong>Walsh (Glass Stage viewing platform in Museum building by\u00a0Eckersley O’Callaghan)
\nM&E consultant <\/strong>HDR
\nQuantity surveyor <\/strong>Gardiner & Theobald
\nMuseum experience<\/strong> Bompas & Parr
\nMain contractor <\/strong>CJ O\u2019Shea<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The museum, designed by Perkins&Will, will showcase the complete archaeological remains of the Shakespearean theatre via a floating glass viewing platform. It is set to open to the public next year. The Curtain Playhouse was first recorded as opening in 1577 and is believed to have staged the debuts of Shakespeare\u2019s plays Romeo & Juliet …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59337,"featured_media":760851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[706],"tags":[1507,2449,2243],"yoast_head":"\nPerkins&Will completes museum above remains of Shakespeare theatre<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Museum of Shakespeare in Shoreditch, east London, will showcase the archaeological remains of Shakespeare\u2019s Curtain Playhouse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/perkinswill-completes-museum-above-remains-of-shakespeare-theatre\" \/>\n<meta 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