An integrated
portfolio of products provided by Sto has been used to help refurbish one of
the most famous theatres in London’s West End.
Sto
provided a combination of bespoke architectural profiles, external wall insulation, external render and paint finish for the
project, which has seen the Victoria Palace Theatre
undergo a major programme of extension and refurbishment works costing over £60
million.
“The
theatre was designed by theatre architect Frank Matcham
in 1910, and it’s recently undergone major changes both
internally and externally,” explains Julian Middleton of project architects,
Aedas Arts Team. “The aim of the project was to maximize the potential of the stage and fly tower, extend the
back-of-house facilities and improve the auditorium, all whilst retaining the
building’s historic features.”
Externally, the
theatre’s façades were extended, as was the stage house, and the existing
roofscape was also completely rationalised. Throughout the process, great care
had to be taken to preserve existing architectural detailing and to reproduce
it on the new sections of the building. This was especially true of the
building façades where various cornice, corbel and column detailing had to be
reproduced. Bespoke StoDeco façade profiles were designed to match the
original features by Sto’s technical team in Germany.
The StoDeco
range of profiles are manufactured from Verolith – a lightweight and easily
workable natural material which can be machined to create accurate
reproductions of existing architectural details. The resulting profiles have
excellent resistance to damage, cracking, weathering and environmental
influences, and as in this case, they can be used to seamlessly restore or
extend existing building façades. For this project they were finished with
StoColor Maxicryl paint, which provides high water-repellence and reliable
colour-fastness.
“This
was a large and complex project which posed plenty of challenges,” adds Matthew
Mooney of Novo Facades, an authorized applicator for
Sto products. “Sto’s technical team worked closely with
us, Aedas Arts Team and the
theatre management to create the new feature elements that were required, and
the results were extremely successful. We also worked together to produce the
most appropriate thermal insulation solution for the theatre.”
StoTherm
Mineral K external wall insulation was selected for this purpose. Based on a
mineral fibre insulation board, this BBA-certified system delivers outstanding
thermal insulation, and is particularly suitable for this type of project where
different types of substrates are involved. It was applied to the theatre using
a Sto adhesive mortar which allowed for fast and accurate installation, and
then finished with StoSilco – a silicone resin external render that provides a
durable and reliable finish.
The Victoria Palace
Theatre is owned by renowned international theatrical producer, Cameron
Mackintosh who was closely involved with the refurbishment project.
