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Royal treatment for theatre's fly tower

Royal Opera House

Covent Garden, London

Royal Opera House gains 42 metre fly tower

ShaftWall helped the theatre's tower meet strict fire, acoustic, impact and deflection requirements.

Main focus

The main focus of the project was the construction of a 42 metre high, galleried, fly tower, 900 square metres in area, to hoist and house the huge amount of scenery needed by the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet who now share this prestigious site. The tower is isolated from the side and back stage areas by massive steel acoustic and fire doors, each weighing around 60 tonnes.

Challenge

The challenge was to meet the strict requirements specified for such a tower, which is three times the height of the proscenium arch, with safety and durability in mind. Fire, acoustics, impact and deflection were all paramount considerations in an area where sets for up to six productions may be erected, retained and moved by elevators.

Solution

The solution was to construct the fly tower walls using ShaftWall, a system designed to meet the extreme conditions created in high speed lift shafts. The system was lined with one layer of Gyproc FireLine overlaid with Glasroc FireCase S, a high performance non-combustible glass reinforced gypsum board. The structure achieved all key performance requirements, with the added advantage that construction could be achieved from one side only, reducing both installation costs and time.

Royal Opera House

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