Renovation of Rudolf Steiner House

Located on Park Road, this building is the headquarters of the Anthroposophical Society in GB. Constructed in phases between 1924 and 1937, it was designed by Montegue Wheeler. Wheeler was influenced by the philosophy and architectural work of Rudolf Steiner (1861 – 1925), whose major building, the Goetheanum in Dornach, is a Swiss national monument and one of the world’s first examples of the use of sculptural concrete. Due to its complex history Steiner House suffered from lack of a space, specific to refreshments, so in the first phase of our interventions in 2007 we created a café in a redundant courtyard adjacent to the entrance foyer.

In 2019 we were re-engaged to do a major renovation of the foyer, bookshop and theatre. This involved installing a passive ventilation system, lighting and new seating layout for the auditorium, as well as designing bespoke furniture pieces for the foyer. Into the narrow side passage between the theatre and the adjacent school an additional dressing room was built: timber framed with wood fibre insulation throughout and a quartz zinc roof and sidewall cladding. This space acts as a buffer between the stage area and the outside.