the ultimate team challenge

Thirdway had a lot of fun bringing The Crystal Maze to its expanded Piccadilly Circus home. The extensive redevelopment is a shining example of construction and fit-out excellence – and it’s also a testament to teamwork.

This winning team comprises Thirdway, Greenway Associates, Ray Hole Architects, Macair FMI, Paul Earl Limited, Darling & Edge, Decordia Decordia and MDM Props. Together, we transformed 20,000 square feet of dilapidated space into a twisting maze with medieval, industrial, futuristic and Aztec styled zones, and an incredibly impressive Crystal Dome finale.

fully immersive experience

The maze itself is only the beginning. Along with doubling the game area, the Crystal Maze experience features:

A well-equipped corporate area
Separate lounge area
Themed gift shop
Four fully refurbished floors

All spaces are tied together with a common thread of high-quality finishes, detailed creative fit-outs and a show business charm.

Modernising an aging icon

No, we don’t mean Ed Tudor-Pole or the Richards (O’Brien and Ayoade) who host our favourite maze show. The Crystal Maze immersive experience occupies four floors of the London Trocadero entertainment complex, open since 1896.

The partially listed building calls for sensitivity around those features of baroque heritage that give The Trocadero its character. Working in a 125-year-old presents unique construction challenges. In many areas, the surfaces and structures were dilapidated, so our team paid special care to preserve the building’s character during the innovative revitalisation. Features like the original staircase which we restored with an elegant marble finish and gold mosaic tile.

The Trocadero also houses a cinema and hospitality venue, and neighbours an active construction site. Navigating these logistical challenges safely and efficiently is an impossible challenge without detailed planning and excellent communication on all sides.

A note to all escape room nerds: the maze’s production value will make you quiver.”

Timeout

Start the fans, please

Have you visited the Crystal Maze immersive experience? After 28 weeks on-site with the broader project team, our first run through was even better than we expected. But let’s not talk about how many crystals we collected.