Shakespeare North Playhouse
Merseyside
Hollington Extra Wide Plank
Explore this floor
Shakespeare North Playhouse
How Hollington oak became part of Shakespeare North Playhouse’s architecture Helm Architecture and Austin Smith Lord reinterpreted a historic cockpit-in-the-round within a modern £38m cultural venue in Prescot. Hollington planks run through the foyers and communal spaces, while a bespoke unfinished version forms part of the auditorium seating and freestanding timber walls. Ted Todd’s commercial specification team worked with Austin Smith Lord from early sampling through to phased delivery. Following a visit to our Cheshire Design Centre, Nick advised on a 2-ply engineered floor suited to the venue’s varied applications. We also coordinated a bespoke unfinished order for the auditorium and managed separate delivery programmes with Bann Joinery and Harmony Contract Flooring.
- Project type
- Leisure
- Location
- Merseyside
- Featured product
- Hollington
Project Overview
The Shakespeare North Playhouse is a theatre, educational centre and vision that has taken a quarter of a century to be realised. Located in Prescot, the £38M project has been designed by London-based Helm Architecture along with supporting architect Austin Smith Lord.
The exterior of the building gives little away about the considered interior spaces, instead projecting a modernist plain architectural facade with simple nods to the cultural significance of what lies behind.
Created to emulate a cockpit-in-the-round, a circular theatre originating from a design first seen in Henry VIII’s rein and reimagined by the later monarch Charles I, this new build replica of a Shakespearean theatre has been designed to regenerate the town of Prescot and pay homage to the remarkable theatre that once stood in the town over 400 years ago.
Project Requirements
Opened to the public in July this modern energy efficient building includes an exhibition space, foyers, bar, bistro, rehearsal spaces, community space, offices and more – many of which feature our Ted Todd Hollington plank flooring.
Our commercial team was contacted by the executive architect Austin Smith Lord, who we later invited to visit our Cheshire Design Centre with our commercial specification consultant Nick Holcroft. Austin Lord Smith were very focused on using a local British brand that could provide a fully certified flooring solution for the project.
How did we help
Initially, the designer was considering a solid wood floor, however, after speaking with Nick – who advocated the viability and flexibility of engineered wood – they decided to specify a 2 Ply engineered hardwood floor.
The tone of the floor was also a discernible factor in the selection of samples we provided to match the brief. The floor also needed to work for the multitude of different applications and settings throughout the venue.
Additionally, due to regulations, an unfinished version of the chosen floor was needed to build the free-standing patrician walls seen in the cockpit area and to create the theatre seating. This was so that a fire-retardant finish could be applied by the contractor on site after installation. In order to achieve that we created a bespoke order of unfinished product especially for the project.
Due to the scale of the project, we worked alongside two contractors – Bann Joinery (who worked on the theatre area) and Harmony Contract Flooring (who were contracted for the communal spaces), to deliver the flooring in line with the varying timeframes of the project.
Why the floor was chosen
The auditorium is a free-standing structure made from wood. “English oak was used for the 16 posts supporting the auditorium structure and European oak for secondary elements including the floor joists” so it made perfect sense that the same material was used throughout the whole venue.
Hollington is a classic floor that brings together the characteristics of slow grown European oak with traditional sawn methods to create a versatile, long lasting hardwood floor. Made from FSC-certified timber, Hollington has a broad range of characteristics, such as knots, sap and colour variation. It is also finished with a Matt Lacquer – a transparent, soft-feel lacquer that maintains the original ‘unfinished’ look of natural wood.
Boasting a 6mm wear layer, the floor is super durable so perfect for high traffic spaces.
Outcome
The clever merger of a historic design with modern building techniques creates a venue that delivers something unique to not only the North West but the whole of the UK and to audiences from across the world.
The communal areas are modern, sleek and fresh using a palette of pink, green with cool tones of black and grey and a mixture of surface finishes like wood, brick and concreate to zone the areas and keep them interesting.
The flexibility of the spaces encourages collaboration, community meetings, social meet ups and successfully achieves “bringing people together to participate in a unique programme of performance, activities and conversations, inspired by Shakespeare”.
We couldn’t be more proud that our floors have been used in the core fabric of this fantastic regeneration building and we hope they will be walked on for many years to come evolving with the venue, and capturing stories of the thespians, patrons and the next generation of Shakespeare fans.
Talk to an expert now to get trusted professional advice on using a wood floor in your project.
Architects: Helm Architecture London
Executive architects: Austin Smith Lord
Contractor: Kier Construction (McCurdy & Co. theatre frame) / Bann Joinery / Harmony Contract Flooring
Structural Engineer: Mott Macdonald
Theatre Consultant: ARUP
Client: The Shakespeare North Trust and KMBC
Image Credit: Andrew Brooks Photography
Hollington up close
Hollington is a nature-grade European oak plank displaying knots, sapwood and natural colour variation. The FSC-certified floor has a 6mm wear layer for high-traffic environments. Its transparent Matt Lacquer protects the surface while retaining the appearance of unfinished timber; auditorium components were supplied unfinished so the contractor could apply a fire-retardant treatment on site.
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