Founded in 1861 by Henry Wilde within St James’s Hall as a school of music and oratory, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) integrated institutions of different arts during the 20th century, becoming one of the most prestigious drama schools in the British Isles. In 2002 LAMDA purchased the old Royal Ballet School site, sandwiched between a six-lane highway and a railway line, and decided to move their teaching school and theater to Hammersmith, West London. The transfer to the new site was organized over several phases, including the refurbishment of the existing buildings and the design of a large new volume for theaters, flexible studios, and administration areas. The site’s position presented considerable issues for a teaching environment, including traffic noise, railway noise, and pollution. At the same time, it is an extraordinarily high profile location with great visibility. The complex is fragmented into several bodies, which make the volume lighter and help compartmentaalize the program. The materials chosen are robust and resistant. Internally the building is composed of masonry walls and concrete structures, with metal panels and curtain walls over the brick plinth on the exterior...[+]