Soho Place, City of Westminster, for Derwent London and Nimax Theatres, with Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Arup and Laing O’Rouke

No. 1 Soho Place in Westminster combines a 600 seat theatre with contemporary office and retail spaces. Spanning 26,000 sqm, this is the first new theatre in the West End in 50 years. The latest development from Derwent London by AHMM, this £300m mixed-use project is part of large-scale regeneration around the Elizabeth line’s Tottenham Court Road station.

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

Client: Derwent London

Theatre Owner and Producer: NIMAX

Theatre’s Architect: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

Landscape Architect: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

Principal Designer: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

Project Manager: Gardiner & Theobald

Cost Consultant: Aecom

Structural / Civil Engineer, MEP Services Engineer, Fire Engineer, Acoustic Consultant, Sustainability Consultant, Facade Consultant: Arup

Auditorium Architect: Haworth Tompkins

Theatre Consultant: Charcoalblue

Theatre Consultant to Nica Burns: Ian Albery

Acoustic Consultant to Nica Burns: Gillerion Scott

Vertical Transport & Facade Access: WSP

Vehicular Transport & Waste Consultant: Caneparo Associates

Lighting Consultant: EQ2 Light

Access Consultant: David Bonnett Associates

Security Consultant: QCIC

Approved Inspector: Bureau Veritas

Planning Authority: Westminster City Council

Planning Consultant: Gerald Eve

Main Contractor: Laing O’Rourke

Services Contractor: Crown House Technologies

Precast Concrete: Explore Manufacturing

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

Soho Place is an enormous urban jigsaw that builds on the arrival of the Elizabeth line to bolster the large-scale regeneration of Oxford Street and includes two new mixed-use buildings that frame a new civic plaza: Soho Place. It bolsters the large-scale regeneration of Oxford Street’s eastern end, this mixed-use project with retail, office space and a new 600-seat theatre delivers the latest development in a long term relationship between AHMM and Derwent London that has delivered a number of award winning schemes The place constitutes a new destination in the city and is the first new street name to be created in Soho for 72 years. It serves as a new pedestrianised connection between the station entrance pavilions set within Centre Point Plaza, and the heart of Soho via Soho Square. The route establishes a new ‘desire line’ for people walking between the station, and along Oxford Street, taking pressure away from St Giles’ Circus and revealing the Grade II* listed St Patrick’s Church along a new apse from Oxford Street.

What makes this place thrive? How does the community come together? What makes this a great place to live, work, play, visit or learn?

Soho Place regenerate the east of Oxford Street through exemplary architecture that creates a mix of uses across the two sites including retail, office, theatre and new public space as well as enhancing the London Underground and Elizabeth line entrances at Centre Point’s new plaza by improving views, connections and pedestrian access between Charing Cross Road and Soho Square. A key element is the creation of a high quality theatre that continues the historic theatrical tradition of the area with a new flexible space that can cater for a diverse range of performances and live events. The provision of a new public plaza is at the heart of the development and incorporates artwork by renowned sculptor Fernando Casasempere, specifically commissioned for the space, alongside integral benches for the public to sit and dwell. A new setting for the Grade II* listed St Patrick’s Church has also been created as part of the development, with an improved and reinvented connection from Charing Cross Road to Soho Square. Ecological improvements including naturally seeded brown roofs at top floor roof levels and bird nesting boxes help to achieve broader targets for biodiversity and natural enhancements for the wider community which will come to full bloom as the project settles and matures over time. In all, Soho Place seeks to be a robust, long-lasting and well-used part of the city that, together with the new theatre, frames a new public space in the city – a new place to work, visit, experience and dwell.

How has this place adapted, and how does it continue to adapt, to changing demographics, behaviors, market context, policy, transport habits and the climate crisis? What makes it resilient?

This complex project which has spanned over 16 years has revitalised a neglected area of Soho, providing a new public plaza and setting for the Grade II* listed St Patrick’s Church as well improving views, connections and pedestrian access between Charing Cross Road and Soho Square. The development has encouraged a new demographic of users to the place, especially through creation of the first new-build theatre in the West End for over 50 years. It is a destination to be enjoyed by Londoners as a meeting point to start the day or night out in the West End. The design team has worked collaboratively with the wider stakeholders including Crossrail and TFL, to create an accessible and welcoming place with improved transport links. The Elizabeth line attracts more than 600,000 users daily, facilitating a transition to net zero and acting as a social enabler bringing people from the outskirts of London the heart of the city. See attached extracts from Knight Frank’s ‘The Crossrail Effect’ for more data. The long design development period has also meant future sustainability standards and climate had to be anticipated. The design of the offices facilitates an enhanced workplace experience with natural light and ventilation, with terraces throughout and a communal roof terrace. Despite the design commencing over a decade ago, the project remains a high performer in terms of its energy performance and climate resilience achieving BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ accreditation and an EPC rating of B.