What does it take to design a building around movement rather than stillness? And what can a theatre tell us about how London is changing?
Last week, we joined members for a behind-the-scenes tour of Sadler’s Wells East, the newest addition to London’s cultural landscape. Set within the East Bank district at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the visit offered a chance to step inside a building that is already reshaping how dance, architecture and public life come together in the city.
It was also a moment to reflect on how much has been achieved in this part of east London. The transformation of the Olympic Park into a growing cultural district is no longer a future vision. It is happening now, building by building, institution by institution.
Led by architect Eimear Hanratty of O’Donnell + Tuomey, alongside Kit Lerman, Head of Project Management at Sadler’s Wells, and the wider project team, the tour moved from the public realm outside into the technical and spatial complexity of the building itself. It showed, in real terms, what it means to design a cultural building that belongs both to performers and to the city around it.
A building that starts with the city
We began outside, looking at how the building sits within its surroundings. Rather than presenting a closed façade, the intention is clear. This is a place designed to feel open, accessible and part of everyday life.
The ground floor reads almost as a continuation of the public realm. Large windows reveal activity inside, including rehearsals on the public dance floor, allowing passers-by to glimpse the life of the building without needing a ticket. The ambition is simple but powerful. Culture should not sit behind closed doors.
This idea continues inside, where the L-shaped foyer acts as a kind of indoor public square. A space to meet, watch, learn or simply spend time. A place where you are welcome, whether you are attending a performance or not.
At The London Society, we often talk about civic infrastructure not as an abstract concept but as something that shapes everyday experience. This is a clear example. A theatre that also functions as a social space, a learning environment and a point of connection.
Designing for dancers
From the outside, the building is a striking composition of handmade brick, with a muscular, textured form shaped by projecting courses and corbelled details. The use of purple-hued Venetian bricks and clay tiles creates a material continuity that runs from exterior to interior, reinforcing the sense of a “three-dimensional brick experience.” It was a real shame to hear that British suppliers of bricks like these were lost in the pandemic.
But the real story lies in how the building works.
Every space has been designed in consultation with dancers. That means practical details that might otherwise go unnoticed become central. Glare-free lighting. Wall finishes that help performers orient themselves. Studios that feel like places to spend time, not just spaces to rehearse.
Unusually, the dance studios sit above the auditorium. This stacking creates a more compact building but introduces a significant technical challenge. Movement above cannot be allowed to disrupt performance below.
The solution is a sophisticated acoustic strategy with isolation pads and a full-height insulation zone, prevents sound and vibration transfer between spaces. It is complex engineering, but the result feels effortless.
That sense of effortlessness runs throughout the building. The more you learn about it, the more you realise how much thought sits behind what appears seamless.
Flexibility, performance and everyday use
Inside the 550-seat auditorium, flexibility is key. The seating banks are fully retractable, allowing the space to transform from a traditional theatre into a flat-floor venue.
This adaptability opens up a wide range of uses. Performances, immersive events, community gatherings, even experimental formats such as raves or skate-based work. The building is not fixed to a single idea of what culture looks like.
Elsewhere, six world-class studios sit on the upper levels, each with access to natural light and rooftop terraces with planting. These are spaces designed to support long hours of training and rehearsal while also offering moments of pause and connection to the outdoors.
The building also houses significant educational programmes, including the Academy Breakin’ Convention and the Rose Choreographic School. This is not just a venue for finished work. It is a place where work is developed, tested and shared.
Making a building that lasts
One of the most striking aspects of the visit was the long-term thinking embedded in the project.
Materials have been chosen not for short-term impact but for durability. The ambition is for the building to last for the long-term. That kind of timeframe changes how decisions are made. It shifts the focus from immediate appearance to long-term performance, maintenance and resilience.
Sustainability runs through the building in quieter ways. Concrete thermal mass helps regulate temperature. Mixed-mode ventilation reduces reliance on mechanical cooling. The building adapts, opening or closing depending on external conditions and internal use.
Even the raised site level plays a role, allowing deliveries and set movements to happen more efficiently behind the scenes.
None of these decisions are showy. But together, they create a building that works.
One key insight: openness is designed, not accidental
If there was one takeaway from the tour, it is this – Buildings that feel open and welcoming do not happen by accident. They are carefully designed, negotiated and tested.
From the permeability of the ground floor to the visibility of the dance floor, from the civic role of the foyer to the integration of education and performance, every decision reinforces the idea that this is a shared space.
That matters in a city where access to culture can often feel uneven.
What this means for London
Sadler’s Wells East is not just a new theatre. It is part of a much bigger question about how London grows and regenerates.
The East Bank development shows what can happen when culture is placed at the heart of a masterplan. But it also raises an important challenge.
Are arts and cultural buildings being consistently planned into new developments across London? Or are they still treated as additions rather than essential infrastructure?
If we believe that culture shapes belonging, identity and everyday life, then these spaces need to be considered from the outset. Not as optional extras, but as core components of healthy neighbourhoods.
This is something we will be exploring further in the months ahead, through visits, discussions and debate. Because understanding what good looks like is only the first step. The real question is how we make it the norm.
Looking to the past
This visit also connected back to one of our earliest conversations as a civic society. In 2022, one of the first episodes of our podcast which explored the East Bank vision, including an interview with Bob Allies of Allies and Morrison on the masterplan shaping this part of the 2012 Olympics site. A central idea in that discussion, which Eimear also highlighted on our tour, was that these cultural buildings should not operate as isolated destinations, but as part of everyday community life. It was striking to see that ambition realised in practice. During our visit, a children’s dance class was taking place in the foyer, visible from the public realm and full of energy. What was once a set of plans and principles is now lived experience. Our production values may have evolved as the podcast has grown, but the role remains the same. To follow London’s development as it moves from idea to delivery, and to help Londoners understand how those decisions shape the city they use every day.
Looking ahead
This tour is part of our wider programme of visits and conversations exploring how London is changing on the ground.
From regeneration schemes to cultural infrastructure, we will continue to open doors to the places shaping the city and create space for Londoners to understand, question and take part.
If this visit showed anything, it is that the future of London is not just being planned. It is being built, one carefully considered building at a time.
With thanks to Eimear Hanratty, Kit Lerman and the Sadler’s Wells team for their insight and generosity in sharing the story behind the building.
