The Aldeburgh Music Creative Campus at Snape Maltings, completed in 2009 by Haworth Tompkins Architects, represents a significant architectural and cultural redevelopment. This project is part of a phased development that skillfully transforms Grade II listed 19th-century maltings buildings located on the Suffolk marshes’ edge into a vibrant creative arts center.
Aldeburgh Music Creative Campus Technical Information
- Architects1-9: Haworth Tompkins Architects
- Location: Snape Maltings, Snape, Suffolk, IP17 1SP, England
- Construction Cost: £5.5M
- Gross Internal Area: 2,130 m2
- Completion Date: 2009
- Photographs: © Philip Vile
Materials used throughout the scheme were salvaged and recycled wherever possible, both to maintain the sense of history within the building and to reduce the embodied energy of the project.
– Haworth Tompkins Architects
Aldeburgh Music Creative Campus Photographs
The Cultural Renaissance of Snape Maltings’ Aldeburgh Music Creative Campus
Aldeburgh Music’s new creative campus at Snape Maltings is part of a phased development of grade 2 listed 19th-century maltings buildings at the edge of the Suffolk marshes, which brings a range of derelict granaries and kilns into use as rehearsal and occasional public performance spaces grouped around a communal foyer. The centerpiece of the project is a new build orchestral rehearsal room, the Britten Studio, designed to complement the nearby concert hall (by Arup Associates, completed in 1970).
The rehearsal room incorporates retractable seating for 350, enabling it to be used as a public venue. A second space, the Jerwood Kiln Studio, was converted from a derelict kiln and can also accommodate public performances when required. The central foyer and technical get in was formed from an existing granary sandwiched between older structures, its eccentric timber roof adapted, and a new concrete mezzanine installed.
Architectural Design and Atmosphere
Musicians are drawn to Snape Maltings’ unique sense of place, a combination of the austere industrial architecture and the vast, almost abstract landscape of the marshes. The newly renovated buildings seek to capture that sense of place, drawing on the surviving texture of the derelict buildings and making reference to the salty, astringent quality of the coastal landscape. The exposed, graded aggregate concrete walls of the Britten Studio, for example, are designed to recall the shingle beach at Aldeburgh, whilst the pale chestnut strip ceilings in the foyer refer both to the old lath and plaster walls found on-site and to the undulating reed beds that surround the building. Both of these devices are primarily designed to establish optimal acoustic conditions.
The Aldeburgh Music Creative Campus showcases a thoughtful blend of modern design and historical preservation and reflects the broader importance of cultural institutions in educational development. Similar to how the Aldeburgh project revitalizes historic buildings to foster creativity, the evolution of education in the UK has been shaped by landmark events and reforms, which have continuously adapted to meet the needs of changing societies. For a deeper understanding of these key moments, particularly in British education, this article on noteworthy dates in the history of British education offers valuable insight into how education has evolved in parallel with cultural and architectural transformations like those seen at Snape Maltings.
Sustainable Materials and Technical Challenges
Materials used throughout the scheme were salvaged and recycled wherever possible, both to maintain the sense of history within the building and to reduce the embodied energy of the project. Agricultural roofing sheets and manmade slates (laid upside down to avoid an over polished finish) are used for economy but also to maintain a simple, unadorned aesthetic. Daylight is maximized throughout the scheme to maintain contact with the outside world during rehearsal and to reduce energy costs. Dual lighting systems (for rehearsal and performance) are incorporated to minimize energy usage.
The technical challenges of the project were considerable: an acoustic specification to recording standards required sophisticated double skin isolation and very heavy roof construction, extremely quiet ventilation systems and specialized glazing; the rehearsal and performance use of the two principal spaces required a variable acoustic, achieved with large retractable drapes and banners along with angled walls and perforated timber bass absorbency panels; a sophisticated technical infrastructure allows music, opera, video, and crossover work to be developed and performed; the risk of flooding due to high tides required the use of waterproof concrete substructure and robust finishes at ground floor level.
Aldeburgh Music Creative Campus Plans
Aldeburgh Music Creative Campus Gallery
About Haworth Tompkins Architects
Haworth Tompkins Architects is a renowned architectural firm based in London, known for its innovative and sensitive approach to both new and existing buildings. Established in 1991 by Graham Haworth and Steve Tompkins, the firm has developed a reputation for its thoughtful, research-driven design processes and a strong emphasis on sustainability and contextual architecture. Their diverse portfolio includes cultural, educational, and residential projects, with a notable focus on arts and theater buildings. The firm’s work is characterized by a deep respect for historical context blended with contemporary design, exemplified in projects like the Young Vic Theatre and the Aldeburgh Music Creative Campus at Snape Maltings.
- Project Manager: Applied Solutions (Projects) Limited
- Main Contractor: Haymills
- Structural Engineer: Price and Myers LLP
- Environmental Engineer: Ernest Griffiths
- Quantity Surveyor: Davis Langdon
- Theatre Consultants: Charcoalblue Ltd
- Acoustic Engineer: Arup Acoustics
- CDM Coordinator: PFB Construction Management Services Limited
- Access Consultants: Babel Limited
