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London’s historic Royal Opera House is a major theatre and performing arts venue based in Covent Garden, central London. Home to The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, the building has played an important role at the heart of British cultural life for three centuries. The current Royal Opera House was built in 1858, featuring intricate and ornate details that speak of bygone eras and attract thousands of audience members every year, as well as many thousands more attending screened performances in cinemas nationwide. The Royal Opera House is now planning for its future, designing a decarbonisation programme that will take the Opera House into the next energy-conscious phase of its life, reducing gas usage, replacing plant with electric and energy-efficient equipment, and conducting a thorough review of the building management systems.
The Royal Opera House is synonymous with British arts and culture, and Omnium was delighted to be appointed to work collaboratively on its proposed decarbonisation scheme. This comprehensive programme takes the building forward into the future, securing an energy-efficient home for some of the UK’s most well-renowned performing arts companies.
Led by Director Charlie Harris, Omnium International’s team worked in partnership with the Royal Opera House and sustainable building services specialists WP3 Ltd, as well as the client’s engineering consultants, to support the delivery of a future-focused energy strategy for the Covent Garden building, providing specialist advice and Commercial Management services relating to the building’s MEP, infrastructure and utilities, heating and cooling, and structural elements such as windows and doors. Upgrading systems such as gas boilers to energy-efficient alternatives such as roof-mounted air source heat pumps will potentially reduce the building’s carbon emissions by around 80%, highlighting the long-term benefits of this investment. Working alongside WP3, Omnium’s scope of works focused in particular on cost elements of the strategy, ensuring that proposed works remained within budget in order to deliver the desired efficiencies.
Based in central London and with exceptional knowledge of the regional building stock, as well as the challenges – and opportunities – posed by planned decarbonisation, Omnium International was pleased to support the Royal Opera House’s energy strategy and its initial implementation. Drawing on over 50 years’ international Cost Consultancy and Commercial Management expertise, including decarbonisation programmes for other public buildings in the UK and overseas, Omnium collaborated closely with engineering consultant partners to create a cost-efficient budget and recommendations for the programme that delivers significant carbon and cost savings for the Royal Opera House as the client drives towards net-zero.
The Royal Ballet & Opera, combining The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera companies, although based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, performs to audiences across the UK and internationally through cinemas and schools, as well as to live audiences in the theatre. The Company plays an important role in engaging, inspiring and educating others in dance, music and design, particularly children, who may not have access to the arts.
Experienced across a diverse range of sectors, Charlie is based full-time at Dubai Hills Estate and leads Omnium’s delivery of pre and post QS services for projects across the development, together with management of Cost Planning & Cost Control for the master plan as Executive QS.
