BDP's reimagined Egyptian Room Food hall entered for Future Cities Forum's Winter Awards 2024

Image: courtesy of BDP

Future Cities Forum is delighted to include BDP's newly reimagined Egyptian Room Food Hall in Oldham, Greater Manchester in its 'Heritage and re-use' awards category, as part of its Winter Awards 2024.

Twenty-one projects in different categories including 'Net Zero' and 'Infrastructure', will be assessed by an all-female panel of judges this December.

BDP says:

'The BDP-designed architectural transformation brings new life to the Grade II listed Old Town Hall in Oldham and which has now opened. It has more than 200 covers across indoor and outdoor seating areas, including a mezzanine. The venue combines contemporary dining experiences with the preserved elegance of the building’s historic, Victorian architecture, original decorative tiling, parquet and terrazzo flooring, and grand plastered ceilings.

'The new Egyptian Room offers a dynamic mix of local street food vendors bringing flavours from around the globe to Oldham’s town centre. Visitors can enjoy diverse culinary options along with cocktails and live music every weekend, making the Egyptian Room the ideal spot for social gatherings, whether for a night out or a relaxed meal with family.

'Andrew Capewell, Architect Director at BDP, said: “Our design for the Egyptian Room breathes new life into arguably the most historically valuable and beautifully restored space within the Old Town Hall building. Now it is opening as a contemporary and dynamic food hall centred upon a flexible social and dining space with an external al-fresco dining terrace, which addresses Parliament Square. It’s a creative reinvention of a fantastic space and a very welcome addition to the town. We are very pleased to see it finally open to the public.”

'The Egyptian Room Food Hall project marks another successful collaboration between BDP and Oldham Council, building on the extensive restoration work BDP completed at the Old Town Hall in 2016. The Council’s vision was to revive this unique space as a casual dining and cultural destination, contributing to the night-time economy and reinforcing Oldham as a centre of community life and leisure.'

Cllr Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, remarked:

“The new food hall not only preserves the Victorian charm of the building but brings an exciting new attraction for residents and visitors alike, boosting our local economy and creating new jobs. This project is yet another piece in our ambitious town centre regeneration.”

Joe Foster, Managing Director of the operator Northern Lights Group, added:

“We are thrilled to bring this vision to life with Oldham Council. We believe the people of Oldham and visitors will be captivated by what the Egyptian Room has to offer.”

BDP provided architectural design, structural and services engineering, acoustics, and specialist lighting for the project.

Image below: courtesy of BDP