St Giles Music Venue, Tottenham Court Road Entertainment Development, Building, Architecture Images

St Giles Music Venue on Tottenham Court Road

Mixed-Use Development at new Crossrail exit, Oxford Street London – design by Orms

8 Aug 2017

St Giles Music Venue

Architects: Orms

Location: Tottenham Court Road, London, England

St Giles Music Venue

Orms starts construction of eagerly-anticipated music venue at St Giles

Situated by the new Crossrail exit at the crossroads of Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, New Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road, St Giles Circus has just started onsite and will provide two new live music venues within the Tin Pan Alley revival scheme. The development will also include enhanced public realm and connectivity through and around the site.

In 2015, Camden Council gave the go ahead for a new music venue and reinstatement of the original courtyard relationship between 22 Denmark Place and the rare seventeenth century house at 26 Denmark Street.

Designed by Orms for Consolidated Developments, and in close consultation with Historic England, the GLA and Music Venues Trust, the approved 19,510 sq m scheme replaces the former 12 Bar Club (the Smithy) with a new 280 capacity grassroots music venue. The Smithy (one of the smallest live music venues in London) located at 22 Denmark Place, has already been carefully preserved and moved to allow for the new basement to take shape. In line with conservation area guidelines, the Smithy will then be reinstated in exactly the same location.

This is in addition to the 2000 capacity music venue which has already been granted consent as part of the wider St Giles Circus scheme and will build on the quarter’s musical heritage.

The creation of a new interactive four storey urban gallery space with fully retractable facade will provide flexible venues and innovative external exhibition spaces, as well as a mix of office, residential, hotel, cultural, entertainment, bar and restaurant use. A new glass enclosure will provide shelter to the courtyard and vertical circulation to the basement venue.

St Giles Circus is set to be unique, mixed-use venue and a destination for commerce, culture, creativity and inspiration, contributing to both the daytime and night-time economy. The dynamic and engaging collection of spaces will be fully integrated with the cultural and physical heritage of the local area.

John McRae, Director of Orms, commented: “St Giles builds on the area’s music heritage which has built up over the past 60 years by bringing back a major music venue that has been missing since the closure of the Astoria to accommodate Crossrail. We are delighted to have started onsite at St Giles – this is an extremely exciting scheme and will provide such a diverse range of uses to this significant central London location.”

Richard Metcalfe at Consolidated Developments, said: “St Giles Circus is set to continue as an internationally recognised destination for music commerce, culture, creativity and inspiration, set in the heart of London.

“Having achieved consent, the final piece of the jigsaw is complete and we will continue to deliver a diverse scheme that showcases leading international culture in an iconic setting known for its creativity and flair. This is an exciting time for London and we look forward to the development taking shape.”

Consolidated Developments are committed to preserving and enhancing the rich musical heritage of Tin Pan Alley, the recently updated scheme will bring the site next to the Crossrail station back into use, increasing the footfall for the number of retailers in the area and enriching the surrounding neighbourhood.

Full completion of the scheme is scheduled for January 2020.

Tottenham Court Road Retail Units – Building Information

Location: St Giles, London, UK
Type of project: Mixed-use
Client: Consolidated Group
Architects: Orms Landscape
Architect: Robert Myers
Planning consultant: Icenci Projects
Structural engineer: Engenuiti
M&E consultant: Buro Happold
Quantity surveyor: Alinea Consultants
Lighting consultant: Buro Happold
Main contractor: Skanska
Start on site date: July 2017
Completion date: January 2020