Building excellence in the cultural sector: English National Ballet

London City Island is the new home for the English National Ballet (ENB) where it is the cultural anchor and a respected contributor to the wider masterplan for the area.

Project overview

This ambitious and fast-paced new build capital project came about as a result of a trusting and respectful relationship established between ENB and the developer, Ballymore. Ballymore recognised the benefits that ENB could bring to the development, seeing these as going beyond simply making the flats more attractive. This has enabled the partners to work on a peer basis and has created a constructive and open relationship that will continue into the foreseeable future.

Facts and figures

Type of project: 93,000 square foot new build as part of a wider Masterplan for London City Island (Leamouth Peninsula)

Organisation behind the project: EcoWorld Ballymore and ENB

Total capital cost:  £36 million

Funding: EcoWorld and Ballymore: shell and core of the building valued at £12 million; £3 million from Arts Council England (Large Capital Grant); £1 million from Mayor of London (Good Growth Fund); Generous individual donors and trusts and foundations including Clore Duffield Foundation, Dorfman Foundation, Foyle Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Holloway Foundation, Linbury Trust, London Marathon Charitable Trust, Wigoder Family Foundation and Wolfson Foundation. The Costume Atelier is supported by CHANEL. 

Project team: EcoWorld and Ballymore (Joint venture developers); Glenn Howells Architects (Architect); Aecom    (Acoustic engineer); Hydrock (Mechanical and engineering); Pulse Associates (Project management & Quantity surveyor); BW Workplace Experts (Fit out)

Project timetable 

2014: ENB Chair, Justin Bickle, and Artistic Director, Tamara Rojo, used staff working groups to establish a vision for a new site. ENB started a site search

2014: London City Island connected with the Jubilee line (providing ease of access into London)

2016: work was simultaneous on 11 apartment blocks, ENB new build and amenities

2019: the new ENB building opened in September

Project management

The project was managed through combined internal and external project management expertise. Effective project management was achieved through good communication and clarity of roles within a small but effective team: Patrick Harrison (Executive Director) managed stakeholder relationships and fundraising; Grace Chan (Chief Operating Officer) led on cost management, governance and funding; Jen McLachlan (ENB’s freelance onsite Project Director) led on developer liaison, managing the interfaces between Ballymore shell and core and ENB fit-out works; and Laura Oliver (ENB’s Project Manager) planned mobilisation and client fit-out in advance of completion. Pulse Associates dealt with onsite project management. 

Several mechanisms were put in place to support the project management:

• establishing clear boundaries in terms of the budget and appetite for risk
• involving board members with construction and property experience
• creating a project steering group as a subcommittee of the board led by Vice Chair, Grenville Turner
• establishing a revolving credit facility from Barclays Bank of £5 million secured against ENB’s original building. The facility provided a degree of security and enabled the project to move quickly
  
   

The capital works

The project has enabled ENB to create a bespoke building that addresses its needs, including:

• a theatre-sized production studio with a five-storey fly tower for the development and rehearsal of productions and the creation of new commissions
• seven large studios for rehearsals and teaching
• a health suite including a gym, Pilates studio, hydrotherapy pool and rehabilitation facilities
• a dedicated music room and space for the English National Ballet Philharmonic to rehearse on site
• enhanced digital equipment and capacity that allows ENB and ENB Philharmonic to capture and share work and engage with audiences around the UK and the rest of the world
• dedicated engagement spaces to further ENB’s work with the local community and wellbeing programme including its flagship Dance for Parkinson’s programme
• open spaces and architectural features that will create a transparent, open, welcoming environment, demystifying the creative process for the public, inside and outside the building

Working with developers – a masterplan and placemaking

The family owned developer, Ballymore, worked in partnership with ENB to support its aspirations for the generation of a distinctive place and community. The vision for the development was to create a great place to live, as well as social and artistic assets for east London. The architect’s masterplan established the proposed changes for the Island, reconnecting the site to the wider docklands area and drawing its architectural design from its maritime heritage and the simple forms of the site’s old warehouses.

The attraction for ENB of London City Island and the relationship with Ballymore was that it offered the space needed, allowed a new build bespoke building, had a complementary vision and provided a well-connected location close to other cultural partners. It also offered the opportunity for the development of a new business model for ENB. Ballymore is a tight knit family run developer and the relationship that was developed between the two organisations allowed ENB to work on a peer-to-peer level with the senior Ballymore team. The project benefitted from the fact that the individuals at both ENB and Ballymore remained consistent throughout the development of the ENB building and wider development.

Given the scale of the project, this was a high-paced new build; contractors were on site and broke ground at the end of 2016 and the building opened in September 2019. It is still early days to determine all the outcomes and impact of the project, but Grace and Patrick are already seeing improvements from a fit-for-purpose building: new income streams from hires and events; dedicated spaces for participants and public engagement; internal communication flows; and the benefits of having more spaces that can be used flexibly, such as faster and better rehearsal periods and more integration for external creative teams and the orchestra. The wider community benefits and animation of the adjacent square are now being planned and this is where Ballymore sees that ENB can really bring its specific expertise and add a more nuanced approach to placemaking for the area.

Patrick described being able to ‘have difficult conversations well’ with Ballymore, which is a good indicator of the strength and depth of the relationship that was created between the two organisations. In some cases where there is a private sector and non-profit organisation partnership, the latter can become overwhelmed by the former; in this instance Grace and Patrick felt they were recognised as the client, with a valid voice in the process. The Arts Council support helped to add further credibility to the project, as well as potential future opportunities in the eyes of Ballymore and Glenn Howells Architects (GHA).

Several themes characterise the project in terms of how ENB worked successfully to a wider masterplan and development agenda:

• creating a shared vision across the partners that remains consistent and can be referred to when issues arise
• being able to work across sector and specialist boundaries 
• enabling all parties to work to their strengths 
• trusting in the expertise that all parties bring to the project 
• working through issues openly and with integrity

It is expected that the relationship with Ballymore will continue for the foreseeable future, which is evidenced by the developer committing to holding its annual stakeholder meeting at ENB (at which ENB will be given a platform), and further community projects are being discussed.