13/10/2026
Who will win the Stirling this Thursday? We’re crossing our fingers for BEAM, a multi-purpose arts and culture located alongside the River Lea in the historic town centre of Hertford, by Bennetts Associates with interiors by is shortlisted for the Stirling Prize by .
BEAM involved partial re-use and extending an earlier theatre dating from the 1970s. Retaining and transforming the existing auditorium, stage, fly tower and backstage accommodation, this sustainable theatre design focuses both on decarbonising the site's operational energy and reducing embodied carbon, and has been a pilot project for the emerging Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard.
Citizens Design Bureau envisaged the front of house areas as a series of volumes defined by layers of colour, while the introduction of distinctive concertina felt absorption panels on the ceiling improves acoustics. A completely remodelled auditorium retains nods to the mid-century style of the original space – with retro ventilation grilles and structure supporting new technical galleries subtly concealed by a new layer of faceted, dark stained panelling.
, director of Citizens Design Bureau, said: “Our approach to Hertford Theatre was to make sure this would be a building that would feel like... a place to hang out and socialise in the heart of Hertford; a space that would hold large audiences comfortably, but on quiet days would also feel intimate and connected to its unique location on the riverbank, even when inside the building.”
Credits: GPF Lewis, contractor; Integral Engineering Design, structural engineer; Max Fordham, environmental / M&E engineer; Sound Space Vision, acoustic engineer and theatre consultant - RIBA stage 1 to 3; Charcoalblue, acoustic engineer and theatre consultant - RIBA stage 3 to 6; Citizens Design Bureau, interior design; Pritchard Themis, lighting design; David Bonnett Associates, access consultant; Fabrik, landscape architect; Bristow, cost consultant, project manager, employers agent; Montagu Evans, planning consultant; The Fire Surgery, fire engineering.
📸 Photography courtesy ©Hufton+Crow