The £28m regeneration of the Roundhouse in Camden, London began last week.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the venue hosted some of the most controversial theatre in the UK and saw legendary performances by The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd.

Chair of the Roundhouse Trust, Torquil Norman; chief executive, Marcus Davey; actress Juilet Stevenson; director, Terry Gilliam, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and a selection of young people involved with the Roundhouse’s creative projects broke ground at the site on 5 May to mark the beginning of the regeneration, which is expected to be completed by Autumn 2005.

Once re-opened, the Roundhouse will become a flexible artistic space, with a programme intended to offer a ‘genuine alternative’ to London’s West End, primarily focused on physical theatre, circus, digital media and music.

So far, the Roundhouse has raised £24m of the £28m total regeneration cost from a combination of funds from the public sector, individual sponsors and Roundhouse campaigns.

A fundraising programme that the Roundhouse will be initiated over the coming months, specifically targeting corporate and individual sponsors, to raise the remaining £4m.

The new building has been designed by architects John McAslan & Partners and will comprise the Main Space – which will be able to accommodate 3,300people standing or 1,800 seated – and the Creative Centre, which will be situated below the Main Space and incorporate state-of-the-art facilities for music, radio, new media, design and performance.

The link between both spaces will be central to the Roundhouse approach while the creative exchange will shape the work of both spaces.

The Creative Centre in the building’s undercroft will provide the opportunity for those aged 13 to 25 years old to explore their creative talents and develop career opportunities and will be particularly focused at those who have little or no access to arts education.

There will also be three new performance/exhibition spaces – the Mezzanine, which will be within the Main Space and hold a 600 seat capacity; the Studio, with flexible multi-use space and 150 seats and the Hub, which will be within the Creative Centre and has been designed as an intimate performance space with a capacity of 100

It is hoped that, in time, the Roundhouse will act as both a producing and receiving venue for work from around the world.

Commenting on the work at the Roundhouse commencing, Torquil Norman said: “This is a very exciting day for us. We have received support from so many people and organisations so far and are very grateful to all of them.

“It will be a wonderful facility for young people when it opens. Obviously, there is still £4m to raise, but we are confident we will find the partners to get us to £28m.”

Secretary of state for culture, media and sport, Tessa Jowell, added: “The Roundhouse has historically been the stage for legends. I hope that this project will meant that, in the future, it will play a major part in creating them.” Details: www.roundhouse.org.uk