Summer function area at The National Theatre

6th May 2008, 5:08pm

Pascal Madoc-Jones, director of architects A-EM, who described The Deck as a 'Marquee with attitude', explained to Eat Out magazine the thought process behind designing the new function space at The National Theatre.

Background:

The Deck, which was officially made available to the public last week , consists of a large translucent cubed structure with retractable glazed walls which open out onto a large decked alfresco terrace, with views stretching from St Paul's and the towers of Westminster Abbey.

The eatery, which is available for hire until October, acts as a black canvas for any event, seating up to 80 people for lunches and dinners, and accommodating a further 100 for conferences and 120 for standing receptions.

Menus on offer are seasonal and subject to change. Dishes served up by executive chef Simon Flint range from barbecue food and canapés to miniature street food for standing events to four-course dinners.

Design: A-EM

CAP House

9-12 Long Lane

London

EC1A 9HA

Tel: 0207 796 1999

Email: mail@a-em.com

Website: www.a-em.com

Type of project: Function space

Brief: Our main aim was to produce this space and get planning permission for this area. The external spaces of The National Theatre needed cheering up so our aim was to achieve this. The theatre doesn't have any function rooms in the building so we wanted to create a function space outside of the building where noise wouldn't be a problem and wouldn't disturb any other events being held at the venue.

What kinds of events does this space hold?

Conferences, weddings, fashion shoots, sit-down meals and dinner parties.

Where did you get your inspiration from?

The building itself. We designed this space to follow the geometry of the theatre as a whole.

Size of the venue?

120 people but I think you could fit a maximum of 300 people in there and it would still be comfortable. But it is unlikely to get permission for more people to be accommodated. It is a small events space which I think would be perfect for a wedding.

What would you describe as the key and unique features?

Firstly I think the views are fantastic. Another key feature is that you can dismantle the building and roll back the corners so people can enjoy the space and views of London from the outside area. The building also has an incredible lighting system where the entire building glows at night. The colours of the lighting can also be amended to change.

When did A-EM set up?

The company has been set up for almost 15 years. I am one of the two main directors. There are a total of 25 people in the company.

Does your practice have a particular signature style?

We are very design led and have a certain look with everything we do. We use a lot of strong forms and colours. We have a very strong modelling element to what we do. We pride ourselves on sharp, strong, vivid colours.

We work in areas that include commercial development, private and social housing, arts and culture, and retail and education.

But this was a very peculiar case, not like any other project we have worked on before. In any other case, using a restaurant for example, we would decide what the best spaces are and where the best views are from the street. However in this case we were building an object on the roof – then putting things inside the glass cube. It is almost reverse order to the way we would design a restaurant.

The Deck was made a bigger project than what it was originally set out to be, due to the long extended discussions about planning permission.

What are your recent projects?

As a practice we have done very few restaurants and retail outlets, but are currently doing a lot of work on universities in particular.

At present we are working on creating a high tech library in the Imperial College in London.

Previous projects include:

• Shaftesbury's redevelopment and rebranding of London's Chinatown
• Eltham Bath village – housing project
• Wash house yard in Camden – In-house development of first class flats which have now been completed.
• Leith's School of Food and Wine
• Goldsmiths
• University College London
• Great Portland Estates

A-EM's previous awards:

• 2007 winner of RIBA Regional Award for Jasmine Studios, London
• 2006 Winner of Hammersmith Society Award for Jasmine Studios, London
• 2005 Shortlisted for Housing Design Award of Wash House Yard, London

Final comment:

I wouldn't change anything about it, we are very happy with the end result. It has been redeveloped in a very interesting direction. I would describe this space as a 'Marquee with attitude'.

Key members of the team:

Gabrielle Fincham – interior designer

Rebecca Grainger – architect

Weblink:

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/thedeck