Did you know...

Did you know... that the new Pegasus building is a place of surprise and delight. None more so than the bits of information we’ve uncovered throughout the process of building. There is a lot about Pegasus you may know already, but lots you didn’t...

• The ‘bricks and mortar’ of the first Pegasus Theatre cost £28,000 in 1974. That's over 100 times less than new Pegasus, 36 years later...
• The copper cladding on the front is iconic, and reflects the copper beech trees which fronted the old building.
• The building uses ‘dog technology’ to cool itself down. How? Through an innovative air handling system that generates cooling in a similar way to when a dog pants, through simple water evaporation. It’s very green, and costs 20 times less than air conditioning.
• The new building covers 1,162 square metres of floor space over 2 floors. That’s almost 4 times more than the old buildings.
• There are 176 square metres of solar photovoltaic panels on the roof, generating up to 28kW of electricity at any one time. The excess in the daytime is sold back to the National Grid, for us to ‘buy back’ during evening activities. Overall, we should generate more electricity than we use.
• There are 275 light fittings in the building, plus 95 new theatre lights hanging in the performance space. But with 35 rooflight windows flooding the building with light, and clever sensors around the building, energy use is at a minimum.
• The giant sculpture in the foyer, Matthew Sanderson’s Magdalen’s Tree, contains over 4,500m of metal. That’s enough to stretch from Pegasus to Carfax Tower and back again.
• The front of the building is a stage in its own right. The glass represents the proscenium opening through to the stage, and the mullions between the panes give the appearance of stage curtains. So from the pavement, you can enjoy a performance all of its own.
• The cycle parking sculpture is wrapped in over 300 bicycle chains.