Royal Opera House 'Open Up' Renovation Now Complete! | Commercial Architectural & Structural Glazing Contractors

IQ provided various specialist glazing works to the renovated opera house.

Our involvement with this prestigious renovation project has been an amazing journey which has now come to an end with the Open Up renovation project completed.

The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden is a Grade 1 listed building in the heart of London. The renovation project was a three year, £50.7m journey to bring this historic building into the 21st century and open it up to a whole new generation of theatregoers.

With these types of projects, a collaborative and flexible approach is required and the experts here at IQ lent their expertise to all areas of the project. We worked closely with Stanton Williams as well as the other consultants and contractors on the build to ensure a high-quality finish to what is an iconic building in London.

Joe Green, from Equals Consulting, said:
“It has been a pleasure to have [IQ] on the project. We have discussed before about how the glazing works were seen as one of the highest risk elements of the project, but [IQ] and [their] team on site have delivered on quality and programme and it is an installation befitting of where it is. [IQ] also brought a collaborative and proactive approach to the work which was crucial.”

The glazing from IQ can be seen at the Terrace Bar on the top floor. The Royal Opera House is now open from 10 am daily for everyone to enjoy the newly renovated space. The 4th floor ‘Winter Gardens’ will be used as a new bar/ dining area and restaurant for the public as well as for performance-goers during the performance intervals and afterwards. The Winter Gardens fill an outdoor terrace space that used to be the Amphitheatre Terrace over the Covent Garden Piazza. The newly refurbished spaces are designed to increase public engagement.

Tom Shell, from Stanton Williams Architects, said:
“I would second Joe’s comments [above] entirely. The quality of installation and attention to detail is excellent and the way [IQ] involved us in any installation queries was very much appreciated.”

Situated on the top floor, the Amphitheatre Terrace (the new Winter Gardens) has been partially enclosed with the installation of new sliding glass windows, auto-venting roof lights, external structural glass Oriel boxes and kitchen and restaurant external doors.