Army music production facility, costing £12 million, now fully completed
A Modern Music Haven for the British Army Band Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) has recently unveiled a new music facility, designed to cater to the needs of its musicians and support their performance activities. The facility, completed by Pick Everard, is set to become the new home for the British Army Band Sandhurst this summer.
Matt Carter, director at Pick Everard, commented on the achievement, stating it was a complex yet rewarding project. The facility was funded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) under the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programme, though specific details about the funding were not provided.
The new development boasts several eco-friendly features, including the installation of air source heat pumps, solar panels, and programmable lighting systems, aiming to benefit the environment. However, no new information about the ecology operations or the green credentials of the facility was provided.
The new music facility offers a calm and restorative environment for the musicians, with the Ensemble Band being the band that will be moving in. The space is equipped with an instrument store, music library, rehearsal rooms, offices, storage, changing rooms, and a crew room.
The facility supports various performances such as passing out parades and Sovereign's parades. Debs Thorne, Joint Bands School Programme Manager, expressed her impression of the quality of the finished buildings, highlighting it as a significant investment in the Army estate.
In addition to the music facility, community centers near the RMAS facility have been refurbished, with free decoration services provided by the project team. These centers will host coffee mornings with veterans to discuss and raise awareness about mental health.
The British Army Band Sandhurst musicians now have a modern and acoustically optimized environment to practice and perform, further enhancing the musical excellence within the military context. An official opening event for the music facility is planned for autumn 2024.
The new music facility is integrated with British Army Music's initiatives, including summer academies promoting musicianship and performance. This collaborative effort within the British Army's music community underscores the facility's role as a hub for musical excellence and education within the military context.
While the search results do not explicitly detail environmental or sustainability features, the description of the space as "calm" and "restorative" suggests a design mindful of wellbeing and possibly sustainable architectural principles, though further information would be needed to confirm specifics.
The new music facility at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst serves not only as a rehearsal space for the British Army Band Sandhurst, but also as a hub for the broader military music community, fostering regeneration and collaboration within this realm. Community centers nearby have undergone renovation, offering venues for hosting events that emphasize the importance of mental health awareness, further extending the facility's role as a community-focused establishment that also values entertainment and music.
