Performing Arts Centre

Rendcomb College, Cirencester

Rendcomb College is an independent school, serving boarding and day students aged between 3 and 18 based in the village of Rendcomb.  The village is located in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and contains 33 listed buildings and two scheduled ancient monuments.

Following a decision by the Governors that for a school of its reputation and one with a strong tradition of dramatic and musical performance, its current facilities were not adequate, Robothams along with Charcoalblue were selected to design a new Performing Arts Centre.

The 350 seat Performing Arts Centre is a whole-school facility with teaching and school productions as its main function.  The Performing Arts Centre has been positioned to respect the adjacent listed buildings and its landscaped setting; it has been designed to be simple and contemporary, using sustainable materials and technologies to limit its impact on its surroundings.

The building is single storey with the auditorium slightly lowered in to the ground to reduce its impact.  The ancillary elements are built into a bank making use of the cross fall of the site and incorporate a natural sedum roof to reduce visual impact and maintain landscape continuity.  The building uses local stone, a characteristic of the Cotswold Conservation Area, combined with natural timber and glass.