Garsington Opera Arts Hub

Conamar successfully handed over this £12m new build, BREEAM Very Good, Arts Hub for Garsington Opera in October 2024. The new facilities provided the Company with high-quality rehearsal spaces and enabled the expansion of its acclaimed community outreach programme, which brought opera to local schools.

The development also accommodated essential supporting functions, including coaching, administration, catering, workshop, and storage areas – creating a consolidated home for all aspects of production. Redundant farm buildings were removed, while the existing farmhouse and cottage were carefully retained and integrated into the overall scheme.

The new buildings were designed to reflect the Chilterns vernacular, incorporating traditional materials such as brick and flint walls, dark-stained weatherboarding, and plain clay roof tiles. The first part of the complex – featuring an informal café with small practice rooms above – wrapped around the larger rehearsal spaces, which were modelled on the proportions of a traditional barn and cart shed.

To the rear, the rehearsal room wing is screened by ancient woodland and hedgerows. With its recessive, dark-stained weatherboard cladding and natural shading from surrounding trees, the building blends seamlessly into the landscape. On the west side, the natural fall of the land allows for a lower ground floor clad in brick and flint, with a continuous base course and buttresses echoing the detailing of the adjoining cottage.

The design carefully follows the scale, height, and materials of the existing estate buildings, ensuring a sympathetic visual relationship, particularly from the main entrance and nearby bus stop. The large rehearsal rooms are topped with bio-diverse green roofs, further enhancing the building’s environmental performance and integration into its surroundings.

Acoustic performance was a key consideration. A specialist consultant with experience in operatic venues was appointed to develop the acoustic strategy for the rehearsal spaces. During preconstruction, Conamar worked closely with the Heritage Officer and Planning Authority to agree samples of brick and lime mortar, sourced through our pre-vetted supply chain, and flint finishes procured from local suppliers.

From a logistical perspective, new access routes were established to minimise disruption to other site users. Construction activities were carefully programmed in collaboration with the client to align with the opera season, ensuring the continuity of performances throughout the build period.