Fire Station Sunderland Wins at the North East Culture Awards
The Fire Station Auditorium in Sunderland has won ‘Best Museum or Cultural Venue’ at 15th North East Culture Awards.
Completed last year, a key driver of the brief was the need to address Sunderland’s lack of appropriately sized specialist venues for music. The new auditorium is designed to accommodate audiences of 500 people seated or 800 people standing in a variety of layouts. The hall is designed to work equally well for amplified music or a natural acoustic, for the staging of drama, dance or comedy, and conference events.
The foyer is designed as an extension of the ground floor public space within the Edwardian Fire Station and the venue will capitalise on the surrounding public open space and create a destination in the heart of the town linking to the restaurants, bars, and drama and dance rehearsal spaces in and around the Fire station. The Parade Ground to the rear of the Fire Station opens up to the outdoor public space and features an outdoor stage allowing the venue to host multiple performances simultaneously.
The Auditorium and the Fire Station together form a continuous façade to the public square. Above the glazed foyer the auditorium is clad in terracotta brise soleil, matching the colour and tone of the red brickwork of the Fire Station. Views through the terracotta to the interior of the foyer reveal the form of the brick auditorium within.