Low-carbon performance optimisation for a historic venue

Bradford Live

Bradford, UK

First opened in 1930, this central Bradford landmark has stood derelict since 2000. An ambitious renovation project will see the imposing art deco venue – formerly the Odeon, now known as Bradford Live – positioned to revitalise the city’s cultural scene and associated nightlife. This is a component part of a wider civic regeneration agenda.

Configured to hold three cinema screens and a bingo hall before it shut down, the remodelled building will feature a single immense auditorium as originally constructed; heritage details obscured by years of redecoration and development will be uncovered and accentuated throughout. With a standing capacity of 4,000, the performance space can attract the very best national and international acts from across the entertainment spectrum. Devised to include workspaces and quality catering concessions, this flexible facility is also capable of hosting exhibitions and conferences.

Bradford Live will be served by new acoustic, electrical, heating and cooling, ventilation, lighting and fire control systems. Buro Happold was engaged to address the project’s building services engineering (MEP) concerns.

This art deco edifice first opened as the New Victoria theatre, cinema and ballroom in 1930.

Derelict since 2000, once refurbished Bradford Live will be the largest mid-sized venue outside London.

In hosting over 200 events every year, this redevelopment will create jobs, training and volunteering opportunities.

One element of our sustainable MEP solution repurposes 90-year-old ventilation ducts to preserve the client’s desired “as found” aesthetic.

Challenge

Preserving and restoring original features while making the space appropriate for a contemporary clientele – within both an entertainment and commercial context – was a key challenge for the MEP team. As the refurbishment budget is limited, the design had to not only be efficient and aesthetically apt but also cost-effective.

Solution

To avoid impacting the building fabric, we concealed the services behind existing elements while the main auditorium’s air distribution solution uses existing duct routes refurbished to a modern standard. As such, the desired standard of efficiency is achieved with minimal intervention to ensure that the system complements the overall desired “as found” look.

In delivering a design that remained within budget while thoroughly satisfying the brief, we adopted a zoned control strategy to accommodate the building’s differing uses. Selecting modular boilers – assembled on site – allowed heating plant to be installed in a confined plant room. This provided more usable space for the operator, the NEC Group.

Value

The client benefitted from Buro Happold’s broad expertise in refurbishing treasured historic structures to an exceptionally high standard. Many of our team live locally and harbour fond memories of the building in happier times, which only enriched the experience of helping to reinvigorate it for future generations. Taking on the project at Stage 2, we made a significant contribution to redesign while rigorously incorporating all of the NEC Group’s requirements.

Buro Happold’s input reduced the scheme’s capital costs, increased operational efficiency and improved environmental comfort. Moreover, adapting extant systems drove down embodied carbon emissions.