Construction complete on £12m facility for army musicians
Pick Everard have announced the completion of a new facility for the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) to host rehearsals and performances.
According to Pick Everard, a national multi-disciplinary consultancy working within the property sector, the new establishment, which held its topping out ceremony last September, can now house all 54 musicians serving under RMAS – the organisation where all officers in the British Army are trained to take on the responsibility of leading their soldiers.
Funded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) under the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programme, the refurbished buildings include an instrument store, music library and rehearsal rooms, as well as offices, storage, changing rooms, and a crew room that will support performances such as passing out parades and Sovereign’s parades.
Commenting on the achievement, Matt Carter, director at Pick Everard, said creating the new development has been a ‘complex’ yet rewarding project.
‘This has been a complex undertaking, which involved close collaboration with our project partners to navigate several onsite challenges, including ecology operations to ensure our work would not interfere with natural habitats present onsite,’ Matt said. ‘Our teams were committed to delivering a facility of the highest standard, with green credentials, which is reflected in our DREAM ratings.’
Matt added: ‘British Army Band Sandhurst musicians now have a modern and acoustically optimised environment, that is befitting of their reputation for excellence on the UK Defence stage.’
In addition to helping RMAS, the new development is also beneficial to the environment. Air source heat pumps, solar panels and programmable lighting systems have been fitted within the building.
Against this backdrop, social value was also integral to the project, with the team providing free decoration services to community centres nearby. These centres will also host coffee mornings with the veterans to discuss and raise awareness about mental health.
Debs Thorne, Joint Bands School Programme Manager, said: ‘This project is a fantastic example of the significant investment underway across the Army estate, to support military training and future capability through delivery of modern, sustainable infrastructure. I have been really impressed by the quality of the finished buildings and I trust that the British Army Band Sandhurst will soon feel at home in their new, purpose-built music facility.’
The Ensemble Band are due to move into the building this summer and an official opening event is planned for autumn 2024.
Images: RMAS
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