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Southbank Centre begins £28m restoration work

Restoration work on London’s prestigious arts venue, the Southbank Centre, has commenced with £28m-worth of work focused on three spaces.

The Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room are all set to undergo renovation in work that the centre has described as ‘long overdue’.

Work is to be carried out by construction firm BAM Construction London who originally constructed the three spaces in the 1960s.

Restoration will focus on the Hayward Gallery’s glass pyramid roof, along with returning the upper galleries to their original height and renovating the gallery’s stone floors.

In the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room walls, floors and ceilings will be restored to their original character, whilst the foyer for the Hall will be rejuvenated with a new ceiling and added glazing for the riverside wall.

Funding for the work has come from a Heritage Lottery Fund grant (£4.4m) and another from Arts Council England (£16.7m). The remaining funds are to be raised through a Southbank Centre campaign focusing on creative sponsorship opportunities.

Mike Donegan, Construction Director at BAM Construction London, “When you look through the history of BAM in the UK, right from the 1860s when we started, we have worked on historic and significant buildings, and today, that’s truer than it’s ever been.

“The skill sets of our people are geared to creating complex and delicate structures, working sensitively, and within the very demanding economics and logistics of our capital city. I’m very proud that we’re chosen to make these fantastic changes that so many people across the world will eventually experience.”

The spaces have been shut since September 2015 and are expected to reopen within two years.