Wigmore Hall is renowned worldwide as a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music, piano, song and instrumental music. With flawless acoustics, the Hall acquired a loyal following for the greatest artists of the 20th century. Today the Hall promotes some 400 concerts a year and broadcasts a weekly concert on BBC Radio.
When the time came for a complete overhaul of mechanical services, the Wigmore Hall Trust appointed MRC to carry out this apparently straightforward task. However, we quickly established that a wider and more sensitive set of improvements was needed, including the re-seating of the entire auditorium, an upgrade of access to meet current regulations, and improvements to the catering facilities.
We selected a full professional team through an invited design competition and established a fast-track project plan that involved a minimum ‘dark’ period of the venue of 16 weeks during the summer break in concerts.
The Trust insisted that the works would not change the perfect acoustic of the hall so we established a series of mock-ups and live tests, including the appointment of a second shadow acoustician. This proved so successful that audiences could not detect any difference between the old and new.
We successfully delivered the project within budget and on time for the pre-arranged Royal Opening.
