Construction completes on new music facility for British Army Band at Sandhurst

Construction has completed on a new c.£12 million band facility for Army musicians at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS).

The purpose-built facility has been designed to support musicians who serve in British Army Band Sandhurst, offering a modern and acoustically-optimised environment for rehearsals, performances and musical collaboration.

Former stables (which date to 1850) and old offices at RMAS have undergone extensive refurbishment, to create a new instrument store, music library, offices, rehearsal rooms, changing rooms, and a crew room. The facility also has sustainable features, with two of the blocks being installed with solar panels and heat source pumps.

Photo: Willmott Dixon

The Joint Bands School project, which began in February 2023, was delivered by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), with contracting assigned to Willmott Dixon and Pick Everard. It was funded under the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programme, which is investing £3.35 billion over 10 years to improve the living, working and training accommodation for soldiers.

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 the 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.”

Aleksia Xhaferraj, DIO’s Project Manager, said: “We are proud to have delivered this new purpose-built facility, which will bring significant benefits to Army musicians. The successful completion of this project is testament to excellent collaboration between DIO, the Army and our contractors.”

Richard Poulter, Managing Director of Willmott Dixon, said: “We take great pride in our contribution to the creation of this cutting-edge facility, dedicated to those who serve our nation. The building is truly exceptional, and I hope that the musicians find inspiration and flourish within the space.”

The Ensemble Band at RMAS will move into the building over the summer. An official opening event for the new Band facility is planned for autumn 2024.

The DEO Army programme of work makes up a large proportion of the overarching DEO Portfolio, which is investing £5.1 billion in infrastructure across the defence estate.