Arts Depot (Tally Ho)

Delivering a purpose-built venue for a thriving local theatre

The Arts Depot project is one of the most complex building structures of it’s time, with a major challenge being the intertwining of a rich mix of uses into an island site constrained on three sides by a dual carriageway.

A two-storey basement allowed the use of raft foundation to save on costs and to avoid piling too close to the low-level sewer running across the site. The soil conditions along with the undulating heights of the building meant that the excavation and construction sequence were crucial in controlling the raft movements. Walsh worked with the main contractor and geotechnical engineer to accurately model movements at each stage. Walsh were employed after planning permission was granted, at which stage the layouts of the competing uses and building heights were fixed.

The open spaces of the bus depot severely limited the number and positions of supporting columns. As a result, we used concrete deep beams, trusses and deep plate girders to achieve the required spans with minimal impact on architectural layouts and building height.

The 400-seat auditorium, featuring a proscenium arch, orchestra pit and raked stall seating, was all supported on six individual columns, whilst there is a smaller 150-seat theatre sits alongside it.