Talk:Queen Elizabeth Hall

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[edit] Improving Visitor and Performer Facilities at the QEH

The main problems of the Queen Elizabeth Hall are:

Poor access from Festival Square

Slow exit from auditoria due to limited links from foyer to auditoria

Lack of access to undercroft, apart from skateboarding area (for security reasons)

Lack of access to roof terrace of foyer (for security reasons)

Slack space beside auditorium by Queens Walk

Deadening effect of walkway on part of Queens Walk

Reportedly, poor performer facilities (limited space)

Limited facilities in foyer (caferia, no restaurant)

No differentiation of foyer facilities for the QEH and the Purcell Room

Unattractive entrance

Dirt and water streaking on external facades

[edit] Potential solutions

Access Poor access from Queens Walk and Festival Square could be solved by providing a new entrance at ground level where Queens Walk meets the passage between the Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. This would also involve a new facade to enclose the west end of the undercroft at ground level, giving the building an identifiable "face", which should not compete with the RFH. The little used external staircase from ground to foyer roof level would either be enclosed to become internal space or be removed and replaced by new internal stairs.

Undercroft Enclosing the undercroft is key to improving the ground level environment. Part of this space at the west end (towards the RFH) could be used to provide better access from ground level to the existing QEH foyer. This would enable the unsatisfactory spiral stairs from Queens Walk to walkway level to be removed since this function would be met by the combination of a new entrance to the QEH foyer at ground level and the two new stairs already provided from Queens Walk (Festival Riverside) to RFH terrace level.

The entire undercroft could be used to provide more facilities for visitors to the Queen Elizabeth Hall, for example moving cloakrooms and lavatories to undercroft level to enable a second bar and more glazing to be provided in the existing foyer space. However, at least part of the undercroft might better be used as an extra gallery space (with limited air conditioning) of the Hayward Gallery since it contains so much superbly modelled structural features in concrete which would complement many forms of sculpture and installation art. In this way it also could provide a new entrance route to the Hayward from Queens Walk where the QEH foyer and auditorium meet, which would link to the stairs by the Hayward private entrance. The void between the foyer and the auditorium would be glazed over to form an atrium.

Better egress from auditoria Two key measures are needed to improve egress from the QEH auditorium. Firstly, the existing "claws" between the foyer and the auditorium, which each include a set of steps could be rebuilt to provide a gently sloped link. This would be suitable for disabled visitors and provider faster flow for other visitors also. However, this may be costly relative to the benefits gained. Ideally, two new entrance/exits would be added from the back of the QEH auditorium to the foyer through the atrium space. This would provide much more capacity for egress from the auditorium. The existing glazing between the foyer and the atrium would be partly or wholly removed to provide access to the new linking stairs from the new entrance/exits. The void between the foyer and the auditorium would be glazed over to form an atrium.

For the Purcell Room a new foyer area could be provided on the walkway outside the Hayward Gallery which would allow a second entrance/exit from the PR, on the Waterloo Bridge side. This would also enable removal of the steps between the PR auditorium level and the foyer. However this would tend to disrupt the circulation route by the current entrance to the Hayward Gallery and such a new foyer could only be part of a more radical redesign of the Waterloo site.

If the undercroft is to be used as part of the QEH foyer, new stairs for circulation between the ground floor and the first floor (existing foyer) would be provided in void area, which would be be covered by a glazed roof to form an atrium. Additional emergency exit stairs would need to be provided at the perimeter of the foyer, probably on the Hayward Gallery side.

Roof of foyer Part of the roof of the foyer, above Queens Walk, could be used as a roof terrace, with suitable supervision and security. The remainder could be used as a restaurant, with new access stairs on the Hayward Gallery side provided sufficient space can be found for kitchens at second floor level. Alternatively, it could be used for an extra gallery space of the Hayward Gallery linked by bridge to the Hayward.

Key to the use of the roof is the control of access in order to allow adequate security nad supervision. This could be doen either by making the QEH foyer roof only accessible either (i)via the Hayward Gallery bridge or (ii) via new stairs from inside part of an expanded QEH foyer at ground level, probably near the existing ground level entrance to the QEH foyer. This could be integrated with the measures to provide a better entarnce to the QEH foyer from Queens Walk.

Walkways One approach would be to dispense with the walkways entirely: the walkway in front of the main entrance would be removed to enable a facade for the foyer building to be provided. The bridge over the central access road would be removed and the bridge to the Royal Festival Hall would either be removed entirely or replaced by a slimmer bridge linking only from the RFH terrace to the QEH existing entrance (if not replaced by a new ground level entrance). The Queen Elizabeth Hall would become a clearly identifiable free-standing building with a new entrance facade. The walkway on the roof of the service and utility side building of the auditorium would be closed, to prioritise circulation at ground level. At ground level, the north-west wall of the foyer (enclosing the undercroft) would extend to link with the service and utility side building of the auditorium.

However, the walkways are integral to the original concept of a series of masses and spaces along a route. The walkways could be retained, but the external stairs (which have proved unsatisfactory as a circulation device in practice) at the northwest corner of the foyer would be removed and their function replaced as described above. The sculptures should be better deployed so that they are place at the key node points so that they are features along the walkway route where they can be appreciated better. For example, the bronze Nelson Mandela bust could be placed between the RFH terrace and QEH entrance and the stainless steel Zerman moved to between the QEH foyer and the bridge between the Hayward Gallery and the QEH.

Performers' space Extra space for performers could be provided by enclosing the space below the Purcell Room and using part of the former undercroft, and also by expanding the soloists accommodation above the utility side building on the Queens Walk side of the auditorium.