Hackney Wick’s Yard theatre reopens in £4m low-waste home
The Yard theatre in Hackney Wick has reopened in a £4m purpose-built home, replacing the improvised warehouse space it occupied for more than a decade. Its reuse of old building parts and low-waste design offer a distinctive cultural presence amid the area’s post-Olympic development, while Ian McKellen is due to appear in its next production.
Founded in 2011, the theatre secured £3m in Community Infrastructure Levy funding from the London Legacy Development Corporation. Architect Takero Shimazaki’s design incorporates a disused crane tower as a beacon and ventilation shaft, and uses unfired bricks made with 95% construction waste, recycling 16 tonnes of material and avoiding emissions equivalent to 3.5 tonnes of CO₂. The original space helped launch work that reached the National Theatre and won Bafta and Olivier recognition.
In short
- The Yard has reopened in a £4m Hackney Wick theatre.
- £3m of its funding came from post-Olympic development contributions.
- Its recycled materials include bricks made with 95% construction waste.
Explained simply
The Yard is a theatre in Hackney Wick, an east London neighbourhood reshaped by development after the 2012 Olympics. Founded in 2011, it began in an adapted warehouse and became known for staging new work, some of which later reached the National Theatre and received Bafta and Olivier recognition.
The London Legacy Development Corporation, which oversees parts of the former Olympic Park, provided £3m in public infrastructure funding towards the theatre’s £4m new building. Architect Takero Shimazaki designed it to reuse materials, including a disused crane tower and bricks made largely from construction waste.
The theatre’s new home sits amid continuing change in Hackney Wick, where cultural venues share space with new development. Its design reflects efforts to reduce construction waste, while its programme brings established performers, including Ian McKellen, to the venue.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Our loos? They’re inspired by Milan’s Villa Necchi! The reborn planks-and-plasterboard theatre trouncing its flashy neighbours”.