The Shed theatre by Haworth Tompkins, London

A bright red new landmark has sprung up amid the concrete architecture on London's South Bank. Designed by Haworth Tompkins (in collaboration with theatre consultants Charcoalblue), The Shed is a temporary venue for the National Theatre's impressive program of shows, and adds to the South Bank's already powerful cultural pull.
Sited on Theatre Square, the new venue will act as a third auditorium for the National Theatre while one of its spaces - the Cottesloe - is closed for a year during the complex's redevelopment. It was designed and built in little more than a year and houses a 225-seat auditorium made of steel and plywood.
The Shed's rough sawn timber cladding references the National Theatre building's iconic board-marked concrete. Its intriguing, window-less volume features four corner chimneys that help natural ventilation; The Shed needs no artificial air conditioning. A temporary foyer connects it with the theatre's permanent lobby.
Using its flexible brand new venue as a vessel, the National Theatre is aiming to explore new ways of making of theatre with a programme that includes new plays, a theatre piece with music and a puppet show.
The Shed will stay on the South Bank for a year. Since the architect created it to be 100% recyclable and fitted out with re-used seating, the parts can be used to new creative ends once the 12 months are over.
It is directly linked to the National Theatre's main building through a temporary foyer that connects it with the permanent lobby. Photography: Helene Binet
The structure was designed and built in little more than a year and houses a 225-seat auditorium made of steel and plywood. Photography: Helene Binet
Haworth Tompkins designed the structure to be 100% recyclable, and its distinctive four chimneys offer natural ventilation. Photography: Helene Binet
The Shed's exterior timber cladding is painted an eye-catching red and its rough sawn format references the National Theatre building's iconic board-marked concrete. Photography: Helene Binet
With one of the National Theatre's venues - the Cottesloe - being closed for a year during the complex's redevelopment, The Shed is filling in as a third auditorium for the organisation. Photography: Helene Binet
The buildings characteristic bright red windowless volume stands out playfully within the South Bank's concrete complex. Photography: Helene Binet
Opening with its first public performances this spring, The Shed will remain on the South Bank for a year. Photography: Helene Binet
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Tour architect Paul Schweikher’s house, a Chicago midcentury masterpiece
Now hidden in the Chicago suburbs, architect Paul Schweikher's former home and studio is an understated midcentury masterpiece; we explore it, revisiting a story from the Wallpaper* archives, first published in April 2009
-
Technogym’s new Pilates reformer blends peak performance with sleek design
The Technogym Reform is the latest addition to the company’s design-led equipment roster, made from sustainable materials including apple-skin leather
-
Kaari Upson’s unsettling, grotesque and seductive world in Denmark
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark is staging the first comprehensive survey of late artist Kaari Upson’s work
-
Colourful outdoor stage appears in the Charleston countryside
Pup Architects devises The Yard, an eco-friendly, colourful temporary outdoor stage structure in Charleston, made entirely out of wood
-
Apple converts 1920s downtown LA theatre into show-stopping store
Apple Tower Theater in downtown Los Angeles brings the roaring 20s into the 2020s
-
Ab Rogers returns to Wonderfruit festival in Thailand
Designer Ab Rogers and Wonderfruit festival founder Pete Phornprapha continue to build their experiential semi-permanent village in Thailand, tending to existing structures like the floating bathhouse, and adding new ones such as a children’s playground with a bamboo see-saw and a stage made of recycled materials collected from Bangkok residents
-
We tour the minimalist new home for the Maillon theatre in Strasbourg
Paris based architecture studio LAN designs the generous, flexible and minimalist home of one of Europe's most exciting contemporary theatre companies, the Maillon in Strasbourg, France
-
Whipped peaks form Zaha Hadid Architects’ Meixihu cultural centre
In Changsha, southern China, Zaha Hadid Architects’ Meixihu cultural centre design features three sculptural structures formed of sweeping organic curves housing a contemporary art museum and two theatres
-
Battersea Arts Centre culminates a 12-year redesign in style
The Grand Hall at the Battersea Arts Centre in London has been re-imagined by architects Haworth Tompkins, but the drama of its former lives has not been forgotten
-
SODA Architects’ Boulevard Theatre celebrates the Art Deco glamour of Soho
A new theatre in the heart of Soho, courtesy of SODA Architects and part of the Walkers Court scheme, celebrates the neighbourhood's long standing tradition as an entertainment hub for London
-
Mecanoo’s National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts thrusts Taiwan into a cultural golden age