The reopening of the casino on July 13, 2012 by Mayor of London Boris Johnson, marked a new beginning for The Hippodrome, Britain’s biggest casino.

When work started on the £40m project to transform this landmark building into The Hippodrome Casino in 2009, the client vowed to do as much as they could to repair the damage done to the building over the years, seeking to creating a landmark casino and entertainment venue. Their intention was to undertake an extensive restoration programme to take the Hippodrome back to Matcham’s original designs for use as a casino and entertainment venue.

TB+A were initially appointed to work with the Hippodrome Casino on the M&E element of their planning application for the redevelopment. Our role subsequently evolved and we continued working with the client and the design team on this prestigious project through to completion.

Not only were we M&E designers but our IT + Security teams were involved providing design of related spaces and IT services access in line with the Grade II listed status of the building, while meeting the most innovative Casino technology requirements.

The restored venue includes four floors of gaming including a Gold Room casino sited in the original basement with access directly into China-town to the rear of the building, Heliot restaurant, six bars, a smoking terrace and The Matcham Room cabaret theatre.

M&E key elements included:

• Full strip out and replacement of building services including all major central plant
• Major new plant room created above the Matcham Theatre which houses the air handling plant serving all the main gaming areas 
• Detailed integration of modern services into historic building and bespoke architectural finishes
• Displacement ventilation system serving the main gaming areas seamlessly integrated with the high quality architectural detailing, providing a great environment and the opportunity to maximise free cooling.