The Granada, a landmark 1930s cinema with an original capacity of 2,700 seats, has been reimagined as a vibrant 1,000-seat venue dedicated to comedy and theatre. The refurbishment aimed to preserve the historic character of the building while delivering a modern, high-performance entertainment space. The transformation required extensive structural alterations to adapt the original cinema layout to contemporary performance needs and safety standards.
One of the primary challenges was converting the vast, single-level cinema auditorium into a more intimate and functional theatre setting without compromising the structural integrity of the building. The project team faced the complex task of integrating new services and infrastructure within the constraints of a heritage-listed structure, ensuring all upgrades respected and preserved the building’s historical fabric. Compliance with current fire safety and accessibility regulations introduced further design and construction complexities. Throughout the process, it was essential to protect and retain significant Art Deco features while undertaking invasive structural interventions.
The original 1930’s structure supporting the balcony comprised terraced, clinker concrete, slabs on 4.6m long, sloping cantilever steel beams, supported on substantial, 3.3m deep, rivetted, plate girders, spanning the full width of the building. This original structure had to be justified, to modern standards and adopting modern loadings, to support both the weight of the existing terraced structure plus any proposed new loads from, for example, the new seating on a new timber build-up over the existing terracing, and new spotlight rigging cantilevered front of the front of the balcony.
Throughout the history of the building, ‘piecemeal’ alterations had been made to the original structure, resulting in numerous structural ‘surprises’ when the existing structure was exposed. This meant that we had to be ‘on our toes’ to be able to rapidly adapt our structural designs as necessary.
