The venue was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize and has won this year's Building Awards Project of the Year, the RIBA Regional (West Midlands) Award, the Enjoy England Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award, the FX Awards Leisure and Entertainment venue Award, the 3R (Refurb, Rethink, Retrofit) Cultural Buildings award and the British Construction Industry (BCI) Major Project Award. In making their award, the BCI judges said, "There were no compromises in the tough decisions made to achieve the end result, which is a brilliant synergy between old and new."
Michael Boyd, the RSC's artistic director, said, "The people who make the client look good are the people in the middle; the people between the architect and client, who translate backward and forward and make us all love each other. Charcoalblue have been wonderful people to work with."
Newcastle Theatre Royal, reopened after a substantial £4.9m refurbishment in September 2011, has been described by the theatre's Chief Executive Philip Bernays as "gobsmackingly gorgeous".
The Marlowe Theatre's director, Mark Everettcomments, "We have a stunning 1200-seat main house that uses all the well-established traditional principles of auditorium design to provide a warm and intimate space."
The £35m Corby Cube, which opened in November 2010, has won the 2010 Government Business Awards Regeneration Project Award, the 2011 Public Sector Building of the Year Award, the 2011 RICS East Midlands Regeneration Award, a commendation from the Concrete Society as well as being shortlisted for this year's BCI Awards.
The UK Centre for Carnival Arts in Luton, which opened in 2009, won a RIBA Regional Award 2011.
Andy Hayles, managing director of Charcoalblue, staes, "We're thrilled that our work has found so much favour with so many crucial people - the architects, the clients and most importantly the end users and audiences. The fact that our projects have also won a raft of awards and been praised in national and trade press is the icing on what will be a very big Christmas cake this year.
"Theatre consultancy is a delicate balancing act between getting the environment and technical facilities right for performance while ensuring that each venue retains its own distinct atmosphere, character and personality."
(Jim Evans)
