The 3,000 seat auditorium was given an acoustic overhaul, improving sound quality, and enabling it to serve a wider range of performance types. Audience seating was also improved, house lighting was upgraded, lifts were refurbished, and disabled access was installed at the platform level for the first time. In addition, provision for wheelchair seating was increased from 14 to 27.

The restoration and renovation project significantly improved the building’s fabric, services and detail, creating durable benefit for subsequent generations, and ensuring lower future running costs. Mindful of the building’s original 1951 design and setting, the works also brought a new clarity to the connection between the Royal Festival Hall’s foyers and the auditorium at its heart.