The Shed

The Shed is a hugely successful temporary auditorium situated on the South Bank of the Thames outside the National Theatre in Central London. Ingleton Wood was responsible for the mechanical, electrical and environmental design of the building which has won awards from the Civic Trust to H&V News with many others in between.

The building is completely naturally ventilated with no cooling and only basic heat provision in the form of heater batteries under the seats to preheat incoming air in winter. Air is supplied via displacement terminals behind the seats and exhausted through the high level chimneys which create the dramatic silhouette of the building.

The space achieves high levels of environmental performance with minimal energy input and almost no controls; a single dial operates louvres on the
supply and exhaust routes.

Both mechanical and electrical installations are designed to lowest possible cost, as the initial brief was for a 12 month lifespan which has only recently been extended. The building has outperformed all expectations and Ingleton Wood are looking at repeating the design in further locations.