The scheme required extensive internal scaffold and temporary supports to form new openings.

The contract also included the enlarging of the stage, new seating, improved disabled access and fire separation, with repairs and refurbishment of the structure, the roof and the M & E services.

Secondary glazing units weighing 250kg posed massive manual handling problems, and the project also involved tunnelling for new drains, confined workspaces and working from height – the tower was 40m above the pavement, making the building one of the tallest around Sloane Square. A full scaffold was installed in the 20m-high auditorium giving access to all areas while taking account of a sloping floor, the limited load-bearing capacity of the floor slab and the cantilevered galleries. With the building's delicate steel roof trusses setting limits on the load they could take, it was decided to use inter-rafter airbags rather than a scaffold safety platform slung beneath the roof while it was recovered.

The building's unusual heating system – air is heated by boilers in the basement, discharged through the base of the timber terraced seating in the main hall via a pressurised plenum, and vented through the tower – threw up big challenges. Five months were spent decontaminating the building after the discovery of extensive asbestos lagging in the air shafts and plenums, and there were major technical problems in plugging the leaks in the original system.

With the site close to a school, a church and a hotel and in a residential area, the Client was persuaded to extend the programme to allow for quiet working.

One-tonne mechanical diggers achieved the considerable amount of basement excavation required, with hydraulic bursting of the concrete to reduce noise. Diamond-tipped chainsaws to break through 900mm-thick brick walls also helped minimise noise.

Despite £1.7m spend in Client variations, practical completion was achieved on the programmed date.

Walter Lilly’s Project Manager received a Gold Medal at the CIOB Construction Manager of the Year Awards in 2005 for his work on the project.

The Scheme has won the following awards:

• Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Environment Award ~ Access Award 2005
• Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Environment Award ~ Creative Use of Listed Building
• European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage 2004
• London District Surveyor’s Association ~ Built-in Quality Award 2005

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