Nest Theatre

The Nest is a flexible performance and rehearsal space, integrated into the Chichester Festival Theatre campus. The building will be used primarily by young people to support the development of creative and emerging careers but will also be open to the wider community.

The project is predicated on re-using an innovative modular structure which was originally constructed by Triple E in partnership with the Pleasance Theatre for use in Edinburgh and London.

The modular structure will be over-clad to improve fire risk management, acoustics and its thermal performance, as well as its appearance.

Carefully located between the existing trees to the south of the Festival Theatre the architectural language is designed to blur the distinction between built form and the woodland context.

The aluminium cladding panels are to be salvaged from a fairground dodgem ride dating back to the 1960’s, similar to the time the CFT was constructed. The timber embossed panels are partially reflective and as such will pick up the colours and movement of the trees and the sky, visually de-materialising the form.

We have developed the design to minimise embodied carbon, with most of the building fabric and seating salvaged or built from FSC timber. It is expected that at the end of its time at Chichester, the building will be demounted and moved to a new home, extending its life even further.

Visualisations: Haze