Stage One

Our Story
Projects
Kit
News
Blog
Contact

Year
- All posts
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
Search

Search | Reset

@StageOneLtd
It's a process that works too. Because it looked pretty sharp when this model got made into something MUCH bigger.… https://t.co/BLsnZIrihW
Lockdown. Not shutdown.
5 January 2021
We've taken immediate action on the instructions from the Government and will be reverting to a distributed model of working for our offices. Workshops and production will be operating as...
Adapting to the new normal
24 June 2020
Find out how we're adapting to the new normal in our latest blog...
@StageOneLtd
Want to see the real thing? We worked with @meinhardtuk over 14 months to make this render a reality. Take a look: https://t.co/fhastPAkwf
Closing the Loop
12 March 2020
In a continued effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we are delighted to announce that we are closing the loop on our use of...
Subscribe to our newsletter
Stay connected to Stage One.
Newsletter Subscription

Every quarter we do a round-up of news and projects.
If you would like to join our mailing list please complete your details below. We will treat this information with care and will never pass your data to third-parties.

Name*

Email address*

Sign-up to our newsletter
MultiPly in Madrid
19 February 2020
The MultiPly pavilion completed a two-week residency at Madrid Design Festival 2020 last week. Originally featured as a landmark project for 2018's London Design Festival, this was MultiPly's fourth iteration, the modular design being configured differently each...
@StageOneLtd
Six fine men. Our riggers at the end of a challenging night shift. https://t.co/qn8nbZzykc
Serpentine Pavilion 2020 Design Revealed
10 February 2020
We are delighted to announce that this year’s Serpentine Pavilion will be designed by South African studio, Counterspace...
New Partnership Announced
22 January 2020
Stage One is pleased to announce a formal partnership with DRAM Ltd, a motion control company that provides services to the film...
Global Free Unit Collaboration
20 December 2019
This year we’ve been working on an initiative with Architect Karl Lenton and Professor Robert Mull as part of the Global Free...
We’ve Passed the ISO Audit
5 December 2019
We’re pleased to announce that we’ve recently passed our BSI review in ISO:14001 Environmental Management Systems and ISO: 9001 Quality Management...
Expanding our Business Overseas
26 November 2019
We’re excited to announce that we have recently extended our network of offices by opening a new branch in Abu...
@StageOneLtd
Are you an experienced Joiner or a skilled Fabricator looking for a new adventure? To see our job descriptions, pl… https://t.co/H8RtBF48zq
Behind the Design with Tom Higham
23 September 2019
It’s one thing to understand the potential of art to impact our everyday lives, its quite another to provide the drive to make it...
New Managing Director Announced
12 September 2019
We are pleased to announce that Tim Leigh has been appointed as Stage One's Managing Director....
@StageOneLtd
RT @expo2020dubai ندعوك إلى مشاركتنا لحظات تاريخية ومشاهدة حفل افتتاح أكبر لقاء ثقافي في العالم. استمتع بكل لحظة عبر متابعة تغطيتنا ا… https://t.co/86GvoPf29l
Behind the Design with John Everiss
9 September 2019
As well as garden design, John turns his hand to sculpture, creating pieces imbued with strong narratives, often made in collaboration with...
Congratulations to our Apprentices!
29 August 2019
We’re excited to announce that two of our Apprentice team members have completed their studies, and are joining us as fully qualified creative industry...
Behind the Design with Michael Eden
27 August 2019
You might think the worlds of pottery and 3D printing are poles apart yet for Michael Eden, the same thought processes are hard at work for...
Behind the Design with Paul Bonomini
12 August 2019
There can’t be many people whose careers mirror that of Paul...
Another Successful Year at Cannes
28 June 2019
This was our sixth year manufacturing and installing two large branded events at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. It's hugely rewarding to see these activations emerging quickly and...
Serpentine Pavilion 2019 Press Launch
18 June 2019
Junya Ishigami's 2019 Serpentine pavilion was unveiled to the press earlier today. Drawing inspiration from nature, the architect is famous for his poetic and gravity-defying structures...
Behind the Design Podcast with Jo Fairfax
17 June 2019
Jo Fairfax' work encompasses a fascinating mix of public art installations, holograms, sculpture, architectural and sculptural lighting, automata and interactive...
Junya Ishigami’s Serpentine Pavilion Nears Completion
14 June 2019
Our crew have been on site at the Serpentine Gallery since early April and are now nearing completion of Junya Ishigami's 2019 pavilion. This year, they've been working closely with a team of specialist stone masons, helping create Ishigami's gently sloping...
Tim Leigh at York Festival of Ideas 2019
7 June 2019
Now in its ninth year, York Festival of Ideas attracts world-class speakers from the media, arts, science and industry as well as featuring exhibitions, theatre, music and films, in a programme that offers something for all ages and interests...
Environmental Audit Re-Certification
24 May 2019
We are pleased to announce that we’re doing our bit for the environment and have passed our BSI ISO Environmental Management Systems audit...
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019
21 May 2019
We are delighted to have been involved in the ‘D-Day 75 Garden’, opening at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show today. Our third collaboration with designer John Everiss and our fourth year contributing to projects at Chelsea...
Kubrick Exhibition opens at Design Museum
29 April 2019
The much-anticipated 'Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition' opened last Friday at London's Design Museum and has already attracted multiple five-star...
Machine Shop Focus: LT7 Laser Tube Cutter
15 April 2019
Last Autumn, we bought a brand-new Laser Tube Cutter – the LT7 from BLM Group....
MultiPly at Milan Design Week
9 April 2019
Our crew have recently returned from Italy where as part of Milan Design Week they reinstalled the MultiPly pavilion in the historic courtyard at the University of Milan. MultiPly is an ingenious structure. Designed by Waugh Thistleton Architects...
Mark Davies Moves On
29 March 2019
Mark Davies joined Stage One four years ago from the National Theatre and is now moving on....
Encouraging the Next Generation
19 March 2019
Work in the Creative Industries is incredibly varied, challenging and immensely rewarding. Not many people, however, are aware of the enormous diversity of jobs that come under the creative industries umbrella. This year, BBC Bitesize...
Special Olympics open in Abu Dhabi
15 March 2019
The dramatic Special Olympics World Games Opening Ceremony took place in the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday. We've had crew on site for several weeks, installing an automation and scenic package...
Serpentine Pavilion 2019 Design Revealed
18 February 2019
This year's Serpentine Pavilion will be designed by Tokyo-based architect, Junya...
Project Update: Spring
12 February 2019
As we nudge towards spring, it's good to see such a varied mix of projects in development, in production and heading out on the...
Possibly the best crew call ever?
24 January 2019
We send our crew all over the world. Their resilience in tough working conditions is legendary: extreme heat (summer, Azerbaijan), extreme cold (winter, PyeongChang) and even 'black rain' conditions in Hong...
TV Sets: Between the Seasons
15 January 2019
January sees two of our sets reappearing on prime-time TV for new seasons: The Voice, currently on it's third outing, and Dancing on Ice on its...
Coming up in 2019…
4 January 2019
We've hit the ground running in 2019 with a number of exciting projects already in planning and in production. Here's a hint of what's to come......
Continuing success with ISO 9001 and 14001
20 December 2018
We are delighted to have achieved re-certification of our ISO 9001 Quality Management...
Big move for Automation!
14 December 2018
Our automation team are in the process of relocating from their current work space at our HQ in Tockwith to a dedicated industrial unit just minutes...
Amazing new Lasertube capability with the LT7
31 October 2018
Meet our brand new LT7 Lasertube cutter. Installed this week in our Machine Shop, this substantial piece of kit heralds a significant leap in our lasertube capability and productivity. It's also a significant investment, another step in our far-reaching plan to grow and develop each of our...
Race A Champion at Ascot
22 October 2018
Timing was everything for this challenging and fun activation we created for the QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday. As part of the Champions Day celebrations, members of the public attending Ascot were invited to take on the world's fastest horses over a 10 metre sprint. Designed by...
Upcoming Projects for TV
4 October 2018
This Autumn and Winter will see quite a few of our projects being showcased in living rooms across the country. Manufacturing sets for TV shows has always been a most welcome source of work for us and an excellent use of our workshop skills. Here's a taster of our television work coming up soon...
Second Lives of the Serpentine Pavilions
3 October 2018
For the last decade, we've manufactured and installed each of the Serpentine Pavilions. What many people don't know, is that each pavilion is designed and manufactured with re-purposing in mind. Come the Autumn, the structure is carefully dismantled before heading off to a new location. Here's...
Bramham Fun Run 2018
1 October 2018
This was our fourth year entering a Stage One team for the Bramham Fun Run and yesterday our nine-strong team braved the chill and completed the course in aid of Cancer Research UK...
3D Printing at York Mediale
27 September 2018
As part of the brand-new media arts festival, York Mediale, we teamed up with our sister company, Fluxaxis, to deliver a stunning 3D printed sculpture...
LDF 2018
24 September 2018
London Design Festival is the perfect opportunity for exploring wildly different creative ideas across the capital. Having several current projects in central London gave us the perfect excuse to see a little of what LDF had to offer. Here's what we took in at the LDF hub at the V&A...
Great Feedback from LDF
19 September 2018
We love the diversity of work that comes our way and these projects tap directly into our experience delivering innovative architectural pavilions and one-off creative...
Chris Augur Steps Down As Managing Director
17 September 2018
After twenty two years at Stage One, Chris Augur has stepped down from the business as Managing Director....
Stage One at London Design Festival 2018
13 September 2018
We've had two teams working on very different projects for this year's London Design Festival. This extremely busy, dynamic festival runs from 15th to 23rd September, hosting a variety of innovative design projects across the capital and features work from a diverse array of creative...
A Paralympic Anniversary
10 September 2018
Today marks six years since the closing of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and the end of a remarkable summer of sport. It was a very busy time for us, our teams providing extensive engineering and scenery for the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies and also creating Thomas Heatherwick's iconic...
2018 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships
7 September 2018
Edwin Stokes, Stage One materials specialist and Fluxaxis 3D printing expert takes his cycling rather...
Ramping up for LDF
6 September 2018
We're excited to be working on two landmark projects for the London Design Festival this year....
New Project Announcement
28 August 2018
We're delighted to announce an upcoming project with Artechnolozy, a Korean production company that specialises in the design of entertainment environments, festivals and...
Inside the Finishing Department
24 August 2018
There isn’t much this team don’t know about High Quality finishes. And what they don’t know, they’ll research, experiment and produce samples, ensuring that exactly the right finish is found. They’re a small, highly skilled team with experience that ranges from...
New Home for RHS Chelsea Sculpture
20 August 2018
Earlier this summer we created a huge sculpted head and hands for the Myeloma UK Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This week, we're delighted to be helping install the sculpture in a new, permanent home at St Francis Hospice in Berkhamsted...
Inside the Machine Shop
17 August 2018
Our Machine Shop lies at the heart of our 12,000 square-metre manufacturing facility. It is the hub of creative manufacture here at Stage One and is filled with precision equipment for cutting, turning, milling, forming and shaping all manner of materials: be it one-offs or multiples in their...
Small is Beautiful – a small projects round up
16 August 2018
We have a reputation for delivering complex and expensive ceremonies, events and engineering. Every year, however, up to two-thirds of our work comes from far smaller projects...
Inside the Qmotion & Automation Department
10 August 2018
With our business focused on turning creative ideas into jaw dropping reality, the Qmotion and Automation department provides the creative pulse and innovative drive behind some of Stage One’s greatest...
Inside the Paint Shop
3 August 2018
Our Paint Shop team are practiced in the art of deception. Their skills mean you can never quite trust your eyes as they transform sculpted polystyrene into solid gold, 3D printed spheres into marble and polycarbonate sheet into the icy superstructure of a vast ship...
Shell Fuel Pump Transformation
31 July 2018
This fabulous vintage petrol pump arrived in our workshops last month to much admiration and interest. The small team allocated to the job relished the opportunity to work with a classic piece of design, transforming it into an eye-catching VIP mobile phone recharging station at last weekend's...
Inside the Metal Shop
27 July 2018
Our Metal Shop is something of a workhorse department here at Stage One. The fourteen-strong team deliver the support structures and strength behind most of our work. They also deliver the can-do attitude that enables us to realise an incredible diversity of...
Serpentine Pavilion Event
26 July 2018
On Tuesday night, the Stage One team entertained some 180 guests at an evening reception at the 2018 Serpentine Pavilion, designed this year by Mexican architect, Frida Escobedo...
Inside the Wood Shop
20 July 2018
In many ways, our Wood Shop is like any other: long work benches, the latest machinery, well-stocked tool cupboards and our sixteen-strong team applying the very best traditional joinery...
Car of the Future: Revealed!
17 July 2018
Last Saturday, Harry Ingram was one very excited young designer! Not many six-year-olds have their design for a car of the Future brought to life in our workshops and then revealed at Goodwood Festival of...
Car of the Future
12 July 2018
Goodwood Festival of Speed’s Mastercard Innovation Lab is all about looking to the future, capturing children’s imaginations and inspiring the next generation of innovative automotive designers...
Innovation in Action – a blog by Tim Leigh
2 July 2018
Innovation is often described as a two-headed monster. Theoretical research leads to solutions in search of a problem. Conversely, applied research seeks solutions to existing real-world problems. However, there is a third approach which is perhaps best described as 'lateral innovation'...
Goodwood’s Silver Jubilee
28 June 2018
This year Goodwood Festival of Speed celebrates 25 years of delivering the best of motorsport and car culture. We're delighted to be playing a small part in Goodwood's Silver Jubilee year, working with a particularly young designer to realise a competition-winning design...
Serpentine Pavilions: Ten Years of Making
21 June 2018
This year marks a milestone in making at Stage One: our tenth Serpentine Pavilion. The Serpentine Gallery's commission provides a showcase for contemporary architecture and in recent years, an opportunity for up and coming architectural talent to find recognition on a global platform...
Our 5th Year at Cannes Lions
21 June 2018
This is our fifth year delivering projects at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, a global event that attracts over 16,000 delegates over five days. Making and installing for Cannes Lions is tremendously rewarding work...
Fast & Furious Live: TPi Production Profile
18 June 2018
Touring shows are an exciting but challenging prospect. Wowing audiences takes creative and technical ambition yet delivering this in a format suitable for touring takes time, care and ingenuity. The write up on the recent Fast & Furious Tour in this month's TPi magazine...
Serpentine Pavilion 2018 – Press Launch
11 June 2018
Frida Escobedo's Serpentine Pavilion has been unveiled to the world's press this morning. The Mexican architect has created a secluded courtyard complete with a reflective curved ceiling and shallow pool...
Mini Living Urban Cabin
10 June 2018
The Mini Living Urban Cabin is part of an ongoing series of installations that take delight in small yet well-designed multi-functional living spaces. The project adopts a highly creative and fun approach to economising on space, challenging how we think of urban living and drawing inspiration from...
Frida Escobedo’s Serpentine Pavilion nears completion
8 June 2018
Our crew have been on site since late April and progress is going well installing this year's Serpentine pavilion. This will be the tenth pavilion manufactured by Stage One and so this is a landmark project for...
Myeloma UK Garden Awarded Silver-gilt Medal
5 June 2018
We are delighted that the Myeloma UK Garden won a silver-gilt medal at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This was our third time helping deliver elements for a garden at Chelsea. It’s immensely rewarding to work on projects designed to be shown off in a beautiful garden setting...
Environmental Audit
31 May 2018
We’re very pleased to announce that we’ve passed our BSI interim audit for our ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Certification with flying colours, having made significant improvements since the auditor’s last visit...
Encouraging New Design Talent
29 May 2018
Saturday saw a wonderful prize-giving event at Fountains Abbey. If you've been following the National Trust's 'folly!' events and installations, you may well already have come across the design of 11 year old Foster Carter...
RHS Chelsea Flower Show
22 May 2018
This morning will see the opening of the 2018 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. We're delighted to have fabricated and installed the sculpture in the Myeloma garden designed by John Everiss and Francesca...
Continued ISO 9001 Success
16 May 2018
Yesterday saw the end of a two-day intensive BSI Audit here at Stage One. The outcome was very positive and the auditor was delighted with the progress that the company has made in developing our Quality Management...
Expanding our London Studio
14 May 2018
We're delighted to announce new additions to our team in London. The Stage One Studio team focuses on developing new business and providing a range of client services in the heart of the capital. The new appointments further expand our London-based expertise requiring a move to new and improved...
Advances in Previsualisation
28 March 2018
New developments in our Technical Department have seen our team tackle the speed with which we’re able to implement our clients’ previsualisations...
Civic Trust Award for 2017 Serpentine Pavilion
20 March 2018
We're delighted to announce that Francis Kéré's 2017 Serpentine Pavilion has won a Civic Trust Pro Tem Award. The Civic Trust Awards scheme was established in 1959 to recognise outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment. An independent awards scheme, it was established...
All in the Detail
13 March 2018
We have a reputation for delivering big and expensive projects. Last year, however, two-thirds of our work had a value of less than £20,000. These projects don't always make it onto our website Projects page...
Investors in People Accreditation
2 March 2018
We have recently been re-awarded the Investors in People accreditation for the sixth time....
Android at Barcelona’s MWC
27 February 2018
We currently have a substantial crew of 140+ in Barcelona who have just completed the installation of Android Works, a series of experiential environments at the annual Mobile World Congress. This large project for our friends at BrandFuel has been in production for over four months...
Serpentine Pavilion 2018 announced
8 February 2018
This year's Serpentine Gallery Pavilion will be designed by award-winning Mexican architect, Frida Escobedo. Her design takes a traditional feature of Mexican architecture, the ‘celosa’ or breeze wall, to create an enclosed courtyard of two rectangular volumes positioned at an angle...
PyeongChang 2018
7 February 2018
We're incredibly proud of our Olympic track record, having been involved with every opening ceremony since Athens in 2004. This year is no exception, our team delivering ceremony engineering to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea. Our crew have been on site since mid-November...
National Trust: folly!
24 January 2018
We were delighted to be asked by the North Yorkshire Society of Architects to sit on a judging panel for a competition aimed at harnessing the imagination and creativity of primary school aged children....
Our New Video: The Brief Doesn’t Sleep
8 January 2018
We are delighted to announce the launch of our new video 'The Brief Doesn't Sleep'. Every project that crosses our threshold involves us making a promise to deliver, a promise that sees a whole raft of processes, skills and systems set into motion from the moment the brief lands to the moment of...
New Set for ITV’s Dancing on Ice
5 January 2018
A brand new series of Dancing on Ice begins on Sunday with a brand new set built by Stage One. Designed by Dominic Tolfts, the dynamic set is illuminated by a series of bespoke lightbox curves, swirls and arches that are used to create a range different effects...
Award Success for Apprentice Jake
21 December 2017
One of our 2016 Metal Shop apprentices, Jake Braithwaite, was awarded his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award earlier this month....
New Production Director
5 December 2017
We are very pleased to welcome James Manley as our new Production Director. Stage One has seen significant growth over the last few years and the volume of output across all departments has increased...
Bringing STEM Subjects To Life
24 November 2017
A Level Product Design students from Harrogate Grammar and King James's School in Knaresborough visited us earlier this week, gaining valuable insight into how the skills they learn at school can be applied to the real life world of making...
Looking to the Future: Automation
22 November 2017
We're continuing to make great advances in the capabilities and sophistication of our automation products. In recent months we've made three appointments that add yet more heavyweight skill to our highly experienced Qmotion department...
EEF Photography Competition
16 November 2017
Since she joined us in the summer of 2016, Graphics Assistant Lydia Walker can often be found out in our workshops, camera in hand, capturing what we...
Strictly Get Dancing for Martin House
16 November 2017
For the last four years, local hospice Martin House have staged a 'Strictly Get Dancing' competition to raise funds for their work helping children and young people with life-limiting...
RIBA President, Ben Derbyshire Visits Stage One
10 November 2017
We've worked closely with a diverse range of world-renown and up-and-coming architects over the last decade and so were delighted when current RIBA president, Ben Derbyshire asked if he could pay us a visit and take a tour...
Barbuda Appeal Update
9 November 2017
We've had an update this week from freelance scenic artist, Alice Bolton, who is out in Barbuda. Alice managed to fill two containers with donated materials and tools to help the people of Barbuda take the first steps in rebuilding begin their community after the terrible destruction caused by...
Barbuda Hurricane Appeal
1 November 2017
September's Hurricane Irma hit the small island of Barbuda particularly hard, with 95% of all properties on the island destroyed and residents evacuated to the larger sister island of Antigua. With family and friends from Barbuda, freelancer Alice Bolton set about contacting a long list of...
Sad News
19 October 2017
We have some very sad news to relay about our friend and colleague, Mickey Faulding. Sadly, Mickey died in his sleep while working for us on a prestigious project in Abu...
Apprentice Intake 2017
2 October 2017
With the success of last year's apprenticeship scheme, run in conjunction with York College, we are very pleased to be able to welcome nine new apprentices for 2017...
Bramham Fun Run 2017
2 October 2017
Congratulations to our Stage One team of runners who completed the Bramham 5km Fun Run on Sunday morning. Having been spoiled by beautiful sunshine in previous years, our resolute team were not put off by the slight drizzle and even our youngest members completed the course in good time...
Delegation from Changsha
28 September 2017
We were delighted to welcome a delegation from the city of Changsha in China, earlier this week. Changsha is an interesting city and one that, size and scale aside, has more in common with our home town of York than first meets the eye...
Stadia & Arena Asia Pacific 2017
13 September 2017
With one eye on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Marketing Director, Tim Leigh has spent the last few days in Japan as part of a 'Sport is Great' delegation led by the Department for International Trade...
2017 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships
13 September 2017
Edwin Stokes, Fluxaxis Director and R&D specialist at Stage One, handed us a pretty impressive reason to break out the biscuits recently when he competed in the 2017 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Albi, France...
Serpentine Pavilion: manufacture & build
23 June 2017
Photojournalist Jude Palmer documented the progress of this year's Serpentine Pavilion; from initial meetings with the architect, through production in our workshops, the build on-site and finally, the Press Launch...
Serpentine Pavilion 2017 Press Launch
20 June 2017
The 2017 Serpentine Pavilion has been unveiled to the world's press today. Designed by Burkino Faso architect, Diébédo Francis Kéré, the pavilion draws inspiration from a particular tree...
A Big Night on TV!
15 June 2017
We've constructed two sets for prime-time Saturday Night TV in recent months, one of which made its debut on Saturday 10th of June with the other show hitting the small screen this coming Saturday, 17th...
Stage One Launch Fluxaxis
9 June 2017
We are delighted to announce the launch of Fluxaxis, a specialist digital manufacturing start-up, incubated by Stage One. This new venture reflects a £1m investment in a range of digital manufacturing technology, an investment that gives Fluxaxis the ability to create rich, complex forms at a...
Serpentine Process: Behind-the-Scenes
1 June 2017
Time, tide and Serpentine schedule wait for no man. The timeline of the pavilion commission is notoriously tight and while this imparts a welcome sense of urgency and even excitement, it also relies heavily on successful collaboration, a skilled workshop and a deft hand at site management...
Innovating the Unexpected: CDW2017
25 May 2017
Nick Paton gave a couple of presentations at Clerkenwell Design Week this...
Baku 2017: From Workshop to Site to Show
24 May 2017
The closing ceremony for the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games took place on Monday in Azerbaijan. Our crew have been on site at the National Stadium in Baku for a couple of months installing a large bespoke stage...
The Tale of the Baku Glove Thief: UPDATE!
7 April 2017
Sadly, stadium dogs are not a new phenomenon to our crew working on-site across the world. Often arriving for months of extensive fit-ups in new, sometimes even unfinished stadia, these sites and their surrounding hinterlands are often a chaotic mix of disparate contractors undertaking all manner...
Serpentine Pavilion wins Civic Trust Award
21 March 2017
Last summer's Serpentine Pavilion has been awarded a 2017 Civic Trust Pro Tem Special Award. The award, for an 'exemplar temporary building or structure', was one of only five Special Awards presented across different...
Astana by Tim Leigh
23 February 2017
Landing in a foreign country after midnight always feels uneasy. Last week I stepped off a plane in Astana, the second coldest capital city in the world. After Ulan Bator since you ask...
Serpentine Pavilion 2017 Design Revealed
21 February 2017
Diébédo Francis Kéré is to design this summer's Serpentine Pavilion. Based in his home town of Gando in Burkina Faso and also in Berlin, Kéré's reputation centres on his socially driven and sustainable approach to architecture...
New Year 2017
9 January 2017
We’re just over a week into 2017 and already this year looks set to be one of our busiest ever. We have a strengthened team for technical delivery, more permanent staff and newly redesigned...
An announcement from Stage One
29 November 2016
Many clients, suppliers and friends of Stage One will be aware that our Technical Director, Jim Tinsley has been absent from the business for some time due to ill...
“Make my Unicorn fly…” Tim Leigh at Venturefest
18 November 2016
Rarely, if ever, will you ever have 100% of the information required to start a project. Incredibly, even when you're delivering a project, there will still be ambiguity and a huge amount...
Behind-the-scenes: Collaboration in the Making
24 October 2016
Photo journalist Jude Palmer documented all of the Serpentine projects this summer and her photos reveal many of these collaborative behind-the-scenes moments, in meetings, the workshops and on site. Here are some shots taken during visits to our workshops by Asif Khan and Kunlé...
Creative Development Consultancy
6 October 2016
Our decades of specialist experience in the creative industries give us a unique insight and understanding of how to marry creative expectation with technical and financial...
Looking to the Future: ISO 14001 Certification
5 October 2016
We’re very pleased to announce that Stage One has been awarded BSI EN ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certification. This certification is very important to us and is key to our aim of building a more sustainable...
Bramham Park 5k Fun Run
3 October 2016
Our team of eight completed the very scenic course at Bramham Park on Sunday, raising some money for Cancer Research on the...
Looking to the Future: Apprenticeships
6 September 2016
We are very pleased to welcome seven new apprentices who started work in various departments at our Yorkshire site on Monday. We've long recognised that staff tend to progress through Stage One: the projects we work on and the nature of our business mean that promoting from within has almost always...
Opening Ceremony Success in Rio
6 August 2016
Stage One is delighted to have been commissioned to design, engineer and operate the scenery and performer flying system that took centre stage at the 2016 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in Rio on...
Conor McGivern joins Stage One
22 July 2016
We are delighted to announce that Conor McGivern has joined Stage One as Head of Projects. Conor will be leading the Project Management Team, helping to grow the number of project managers and industry crew chiefs, while enhancing our existing systems and...
Press Launch at Kew for opening of award-winning Hive
15 June 2016
The Hive, the multi-award-winning UK Pavilion from the 2015 World Expo in Milan has opened to members of the press today...
Serpentine Architectural Programme for 2016
10 June 2016
The Serpentine's extended architectural programme for 2016 has opened to the public today. The soaring, 14 metre high main pavilion by Danish architects, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), and the four Summer Houses have all be manufactured and constructed by Stage One...
Behind the Scenes at the Serpentine Summer Houses
8 June 2016
This year's expanded architectural programme at the Serpentine Gallery includes four Summer Houses, each taking inspiration from the nearby Queen Caroline's Temple. Each Summer House has been designed by a different architect, as yet to build a permanent building in the UK...
Press Launch at the Serpentine
7 June 2016
As Bjarke Ingels's Serpentine Pavilion and the Summer Houses by Yona Friedman, Kunle Adayemi, Barkow Leibinger and Asif Khan are revealed to the world's press today, we're offering a look at the processes, skills and hard work that go into creating these diverse structures...
Serpentine 2016: Workshop Progress
23 May 2016
With the expansion of the Serpentine Gallery's highly regarded pavilion programme for 2016, our workshops have been very busy. Some interesting shapes and structures are beginning to emerge...
Tockwith Festival 2016
29 April 2016
After a well-deserved year off, our friends at Tockwith Festival are returning with another event full of great music, beer and street food. We're very proud of our local festival and glad to be able to help with the staging once again...
Vacancies. Come and work with us. We’re recruiting!
15 April 2016
We're busy and we're recruiting! Vacancies currently exist in the following departments, Project Management, CAD, Sales and Woodshop. Find out more by taking a look at our vacancies...
Stroud School of Art 3D Design Visit
11 April 2016
Lucky enough to visit Heatherwick Studios to gain an understanding of concept design, Stroud School of Art 3D Design students asked if they could visit our facilities and learn more about the processes that bring designs to life...
Hive wins Civic Trust Awards
7 March 2016
The UK Pavilion from Milan's 2015 Expo has won two Civic Trust Awards. At the ceremony on Friday night, the 'Hive' was awarded a Civic Trust Award for Pro Tem and a Special Award for Pro Tem...
Stage One Acquires Leading Leisure Ride Company
1 March 2016
We are pleased to announce the acquisition of WGH Transportation Engineering, the UK's leading leisure ride design and manufacturing company...
The Engineering Club, London
12 February 2016
We were very pleased and honoured to be invited to speak at the Engineering Club in London earlier this month...
The Serpentine Commission Expands
10 February 2016
The Serpentine Gallery has announced an expansion to it's highly regarded pavilion programme with 2016 seeing five international architects working on five different structures...
Stage One Help Crew for Calais
1 February 2016
Crew for Calais is a group of companies and individuals working in the theatre, event and production industries who have come together to build some flat pack shelters for the refugee camp in Calais, to try and mitigate the effects of the winter weather...
UK Pavilion finds new home at Kew
29 January 2016
The Hive, centrepiece of the UK Pavilion site at the Milan 2015 Expo, is to be relocated to a new home at London's Kew Gardens. The critically acclaimed and award-winning structure, designed by Nottingham artist Wolfgang Buttress, provides an immersive experience highlighting the vital role of the...
UK Pavilion Wins Expo Gold Medal
2 November 2015
The Wolfgang Buttress designed 'Hive' continued the UK's tradition of design excellence by winning the Bureau of International Expositions gold medal for Best Architecture and Landscape Design in Milan...
UK Pavilion wins Blueprint Award
26 October 2015
The UK Pavilion at this year's Expo in Milan has received much praise not only for the concept and design, but also for the execution of the build. Last week another award was added to the lengthening list of architectural and design accolades...
Innovation Award 2015
15 October 2015
We are delighted to have won the 2015 Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Award for Innovation. Sales & Marketing Director, Tim Leigh and Production Director, Chris Augur attended the awards ceremony in Leeds last night...
Tockwith Stirling Bomber Memorial
12 October 2015
For those of you who have ever visited our workshops or even cast your eye over our address, Stage One's link with UK wartime history will be apparent...
Insider Growth 100 Awards
6 October 2015
We were very pleased to be asked to attend the Insider growth 100 Awards lunch yesterday and even more pleased to come away with the Awards for Export...
Bramham 5k Fun Run
5 October 2015
Our team of running geeks, novices and optimists took part in the Bramham Park 5k fun run on Sunday, raining money for Cancer Research UK...
UK Pavilion Wins Architecture Award
30 September 2015
The UK Pavilion at the Milan Expo has been awarded the international jury prize for the best design and relevance to the Expo theme...
Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards
16 September 2015
We are very proud to have made the shortlist for the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards 2015. We are especially pleased that our nomination comes in the category of Innovation...
Globe Theatre Interface 2015
11 September 2015
We were successful in being shortlisted to attend Interface2015, a digital network event for the cultural industries orgainised by Shakespeare's Globe...
Supporting Innovation: Simon Bye’s Exoskeleton
11 September 2015
Simon Bye has worked for us for many years, both as an intern and also as an automation, electronics and electrical technician. He is currently on sabbatical, completing his MSc...
Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200
15 July 2015
Our ranking at 13th in the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 is a significant achievement for Stage One. The very nature of our work means that our products, expertise and crews are regularly dispatched across the world...
2015 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion revealed
22 June 2015
The press launch of the 15th Serpentine Gallery pavilion took place today...
Reinvention of a Jean Prouvé masterpiece
19 June 2015
We recently worked with Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to manufacture two cylindrical pod-like additions to a 1940's demountable Jean Prouvé house...
UK National Day at Milan Expo
17 June 2015
June 17th was the UK's National Day at the Milan Expo and the occasion was marked with a series of events including a high-profile visit from a UK Government delegation headed by Prime Minister, David Cameron and UK Trade Minister, Lord Maude...
Two opening ceremonies delivered in just eight days
15 June 2015
We've just completed two Opening Ceremonies, on different continents, within the space of just eight days; the culmination of a very busy period for our technical and interpretation teams...
UK Pavilion opens in Milan
30 April 2015
These beautiful images from photographers, Hufton & Crow, show the completed UK Pavilion 'Hive' in all its complex and intricate glory...
Light of the Bumblebee: An R&D Solution
23 March 2015
LED Technician, Andy Coates, looks at the R&D journey of the 1000 pixels, heading for the Hive...
Rural Setting for Relocated 2014 Pavilion
22 March 2015
If you didn't manage to see Smiljan Radic's other-worldly Serpentine Pavilion in London last summer, you now have the opportunity to experience this unique structure in the tranquil setting of Somerset...
The Hive Rises: Progress for UK Pavilion
20 March 2015
Our experience serves us well in dealing with installing complex structures in tight spaces...
Exciting Times Ahead for York, UNESCO City of Media Arts
2 February 2015
Tim Leigh was invited to talk about Stage One at an event helping to spread the word about York's new UNESCO City of Media Arts...
Visit from UKTI CEO Dominic Jermey
16 January 2015
UKTI Chief Executive, Dominic Jermey visited us yesterday...
Veracruz 2014 Opening Ceremony
15 December 2014
We helped take Voladores to new heights at Veracruz 2014 ceremony...
Progress for UK Pavilion at Milan 2015 Expo
12 December 2014
Manufacturing for this stunning and intricate design is happening apace...
3D Scanner Completes the Picture
10 December 2014
We're always looking to expand our in-house facilities. Our most recent investment is a Steinbichler Comet L3D scanner which allows us to produce 3D models of objects by scanning them optically...
Art of the Everyday Object – Water Sculpture
13 October 2014
Our team install Bertrand Lavier fountain at Serpentine's Sackler...
In-house Paint Mix System
17 September 2014
New in-house paint mix system brings increased efficiency and accuracy to our...
Jaguar XE Sculpture Unveiled
8 September 2014
Sleek and articulate: This Jaguar sculpture was revealed last week outside London's Design...
Designing a Moment: Olympic cauldron gallery opens
24 July 2014
The Museum of London open its new, specially designed gallery housing the London 2012 Olympic...
BikeBay Design Revealed
8 July 2014
10 year-old Will Hunt's design becomes a reality in Harrogate Fan...
An Ethereal Structure Set in Stone
24 June 2014
2014 Serpentine Pavilion: "A futuristic design that looks like it is from the Stone...
Raising the workshop game with Poseidon
23 June 2014
We've invested in some amazing kit recently, making the capabilities of our workshops second to...
International Theatre Engineering & Architecture Conference 2014
9 June 2014
Technical Director, Jim Tinsley was a guest speaker at the ITEAC held at the University of London last...
Main Contractor for UK Pavilion Milan Expo 2015
18 May 2014
We are proud to announce that we have been appointed as the main contractor to deliver the UK pavilion at the Milan Expo in 2015...
A Panel of Olympic Expertise
12 May 2014
Technical Director Jim Tinsley, will be speaking at the International Theatre Engineering & Architecture Conference 2014...
Le Grand Idea
23 April 2014
Director Tim Leigh helps judge Bikebay, a RIBA sponsored competition to design bike storage for Le Grand...
Broadening our Architectural Appeal
3 April 2014
In recent years, the demand for our services amongst practices has increased...
Champagne Send off for Woody
29 March 2014
Founding Director, Simon Wood retires after 30 years at Stage...
UKTI Collaboration Seminar
19 March 2014
As part of the UKTI Creative Industries Taskforce, we recently delivered a seminar entitled: 'Collaboration - What this means for creative...
R&D Funding for Freeform 3D Printing
3 February 2014
We've won a grant to investigate Additive Manufacturing for architectural and scenic...
Stage One in the News
8 January 2014
Diverse projects have created interest in the press - here's some of the coverage we've received...
Another Royal Award for Tockwith
5 October 2013
Our friends at Tockwith Festival receive accreditation from the Duke of York's Community...
Thomas Heatherwick Names his Favourite Makers
20 September 2013
Technical Director, Jim Tinsley, featured in WIRED...
Sales Director, Simon Wood Announces Retirement
12 September 2013
After much consideration and months of careful planning, Sales Director, Simon Wood is to...
Queen’s Award for Enterprise Presentation
9 September 2013
The Lord Crathorne KCVO, Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, presents our Queen's...
Beyond 2012 – The Design Council Celebration Event
12 July 2013
From Olympic Cauldron to Olympic...
A Decade of Innovation
26 June 2013
We celebrate winning a Queens Award with a look back over the last ten years of Stage One...
Serpentine Variety Performance
24 June 2013
Five years of innovation, experimentation and diversity at the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion...
The ‘Steel Cloud’ is already a hit
5 June 2013
We've had our head in the cloud at this year's Serpentine Gallery...
Giving A Helping Hand With Tockwith Festival 2013
22 May 2013
Local help for local festival with big...
Queen’s Award for Innovation
21 April 2013
It's a very proud day at Stage One, great to be recognised for all the hard work...
Stage One Heading for Chelsea
15 April 2013
Roof Garden for York's Landscape...
A moving experience for 2012 Pavilion
10 April 2013
Relocation, relocation,...
Lending a Hand for Le Grand Depart
23 January 2013
Tour De France in...
Betty and Her Petal Legacy
19 December 2012
The last petal has left the...
Heatherwick’s Cauldron Accolade
12 December 2012
Cauldron wins ICON Product Design of the...
Brilliant Photography Shows Our Work at its Best
7 December 2012
We knew we'd had a hand in some iconic projects this year and two of them have been photographed...
Stage One in the News
27 September 2012
We've been keeping busy this summer with a whole host of high profile automation and public ceremony projects, some of which you may...
Qmotion: From Humble Beginnings
28 March 2012
Eighteen years ago our Technical Department created Bev D. Spenser, a computerised robotic barmaid with a whole eight (!) axes of...
Our Longest Catenary Yet…
12 June 2011
Our 310 metre long catenaries suffered the wrath of the thunder, lightening and high winds yet calmly delivered Ceremonies for the Special Olympics Summer Games in...
Stage One make the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 100
9 May 2011
The creative application of our world-bearing technology puts us in The Sunday Times International Track...
Recognition at Structural Awards 2010
20 December 2010
The Serpentine Pavilion 2009 has won the Award for Small Projects at the prestigious Structural Awards...
The Dragon comes to Selfridge’s
6 October 2010
A bespoke sculptural product display piece manufactured using fibre reinforced polymer composite materials has been installed at Selfridge's Department...
Papal Visit 2010
5 October 2010
We were honoured to be invited to provide our scenic package in support of Pope Benedict XVI's 2010 visit to...
Pavilion wins International Award
16 February 2010
The Pavilion we constructed at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, has won the prestigious JEC Innovation Award...
The Industry’s Favourite!
9 February 2010
Stage One have never been named 'Favourite Set Construction Company' at the TPi Awards held in London this...
Stage One MTV Props
24 November 2009
The 2009 Europe Music Awards have taken place in Berlin and for the ninth year running we were on board: providing props for both the host Katy Perry and for the artist...
Portable Flying Grid System for Phantom of the Opera
11 August 2009
Our portable flying grid system has once again been in use, this time for the Really Useful Group Limited and a run of The Phantom of the...
Architecture for the Future
10 July 2009
A sculptural pavilion showcasing the possibilities that exist in building with sustainable and intelligent materials has just been completed in...
Keeping Up the Good Work
12 May 2009
One of the world's top professional freestylers recently smashed the world record for the 'longest time controlling a football' and we were on hand to provide the...
All Set for VIP Inauguration
11 May 2009
The world's first fully integrated value chain of liquefied natural gas has been officially inaugurated in the State of Qatar, and we were on hand to provide a suitably high-quality...
Priscilla Rides into Town
30 April 2009
Priscilla Queen of the Desert has opened in London and Stage One have provided all of the show automation and scenery, including Priscilla, the technically challenging star of the...
Design Innovation Event
16 February 2009
'Design innovation with FRP composites', an event at which Stage One's Edwin Stokes was a guest speaker, has been hailed as a great success, after the event attracted over 100...
Success at the MTV Europe Music Awards
19 November 2008
For the eighth year running we provided the performance, presentation areas and several performer items for the MTV Europe Music...
Supplier of the Year – Again!
2 October 2008
Stage One have won the title of 'Supplier of the Year' at the prestigious Event Awards in London - winning this important award for the third year...
New Product Set to Revolutionise Musical Theatre
28 May 2008
We've launched a brand new portable flying grid system, allowing the presentation of large scale touring musical productions to arena...
Heading Down-Under With New Australian Company
2 January 2008
We are extremely pleased to announce that we have established a brand new company called Qmotion Australia Pty Ltd, based in...

Brilliant Photography Shows Our Work at its Best
7 December 2012
We knew we’d had a hand in some iconic projects this year, but seeing two of these photographed so brilliantly in the photo summary for 2012 in the American magazine, ‘The Atlantic’, has made us really quite proud. The unusual and atmospheric shot of the Olympic cauldron, ‘Betty’ (photo number 36; by Martin Meissner) is particularly worth a look. Seeing the moon rise and become – albeit, fleetingly – the sixth Olympic ring beneath London’s Tower Bridge (photo number 29; by Luke MacGregor) is a mesmerising reminder of a great summer of sport and a job well done.

Newsletter Subscription

Every quarter we do a round-up of news and projects.
If you would like to join our mailing list please complete your details below. We will treat this information with care and will never pass your data to third-parties.

Name*

Email address*

Sign-up to our newsletter