Allies and Morrison has been the house architect for the Royal Festival Hall for over a decade and has been responsible for two successful Heritage Lottery Fund bids. Since its appointment as House Architects in 1993, the practice has carried out a number of new and restoration projects which were implemented within the Royal Festival Hall without the need for closure of the building.
The comprehensive restoration and reconfiguration of the auditorium and foyers, and a new public face to the River Thames was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize in 2008.
The transformation has recovered the essence of Leslie Martin and Peter Moro’s building and has established a new relationship with its South Bank context, recalling the aspiration of the Festival of Britain in the revitalised riverside.
A new building, the long narrow ‘Liner Building’ creates a new frontage of restaurants to the busy route between the main Hall and the Hungerford Railway Bridge. Offices for the Southbank Centre are located on the upper floors, with support spaces for the concert hall below.