Haworth Tompkins have transformed the Bristol Old Vic with its radical reworking of the theatre’s front of house. The new foyer space for the first time connects the 1776 auditorium of the theatre directly with King Street and is conceived as an informal extension of the street, as much a covered public square as a discrete building. A new structural timber and glass facade bring daylight into the plan of the foyer while new circulation stairs connect plug into found openings that link to the auditoriums back wall. This intervention allows the entire audience to move up, down and around a single, convivial space before and after each show, and the local community to enjoy the foyer throughout the day as a café, bar and meeting place.
