The Harrow Arts Centre’s The New Greenhill Building, built with £4m from the London Borough of Harrow and the GLA’s Good Growth Fund, with the conversion of former farm buildings temporary spaces with a new purpose-built multi-function arts building. The structure has 5 flexible rooms, ranging from 40sqm to 70sqm to host the 1,000 classes and events a year at the centre, and act as a community hub, for seniors and minority groups.

Who is on the project team? (designer, consultants, etc)

Architect: Chris Dyson Architects

Structural, M&E, Civil Engineering: Webb Yates

Landscape Architects: KLA Fire

Consultants: CWB

Wayfinding/Signage: Studio Emmi

Quantity Surveyor: PT Projects

Contractors: CityAxis Ltd.

Building Control: LB Harrow Building Control

Highways: GHD Ltd.

Acoustics: KP Acoustics

Describe the context of this project, its neighbourhood and people.

The Harrow Arts Centre is Hatch End, a leafy, residential area to the north of Harrow. There is a large, established south Asian community in the borough. The Harrow Arts Centre (HAC) is Harrow’s premier venue for touring theatre and dance productions. As well as this it is a creative hub for practicing local artists and local schools, providing studio and practice spaces. For amateur enthusiasts it offers classes and courses in the arts, ranging from painting and drawing courses to dance, drama and music. It also acts as a community hub, offering exercise classes and events for seniors and minority groups. In recent years it has become a respected centre for traditional Indian performing arts such as Bansuri flute, Tabla drums and Kathak Dance. The Centre occupies the site of the former Royal Commercial Traveller’s School, a nineteenth century boarding school. The main focus of the site is the Elliot Hall, the former school’s grand Edwardian Hall, but the site also includes several more humble buildings, which were originally part of a working farm, which served the school. These have been converted into studios and teaching spaces and supplemented over time with temporary buildings. HAC historically received funding from Harrow Council. This funding was cut and so the Centre needed to find a way to generate more income. A masterplan was drawn which suggested converting some of the former farm buildings and replacing the temporary classrooms with a new purpose-built multi-function arts building, the New Greenhill Building. 

Please share any data or figures that support your entry, for example increased footfall, happiness surveys, event attendance and/or observed changes in behaviour.

As the building only became operational in summer 2023 statistics are not yet available for sitewide increase of usage. These will become available later this year. The Harrow Arts Centre proudly serves as a vibrant hub for the local community, providing spaces for dance rehearsals and performances. Through collaborative efforts with local artists and instructors, the centre fosters creativity and inclusivity, offering a platform where individuals of all ages and backgrounds can come together to celebrate the arts. Here is an example of our vibrant local dance group, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Kathak dance. This performance not only entertains but also celebrates the diverse tapestry of our community. 

Did the project make a positive social and environmental contribution? If if it was a temporary intervention, is there a legacy plan? What happened to its tenants, users, materials and programming?

Testimonial - "Harrow Arts Centre is an important site for the London Borough of Harrow as it provides a range of facilities for stakeholders in the borough, ranging from arts, culture, leisure, keep fit and community cohesion… [Chris Dyson Architects] creatively designed a building to complement the historic agricultural part of the land and the adjacent brick buildings, whilst being sympathetic to the site and allowing for futureproofing. They worked well with a wide range of stakeholders, ranging from community meetings, the internal department, Design Review with the LPA, and meetings with the GLA. They delivered the project in a rapidly changing, dynamic external environment that was challenging, with a fixed budget. [We] found the architects at CDA responsive, creative and solution focused." Shehzad Ahmed, Economic Development Officer, London Borough of Harrow