This is a cool performing arts venue. For decades the performances by this organization had been held in two big top tents. In keeping with that history, the design took inspiration to create a sculptural shell that reaches for the heavens.
There’s a nifty slight of hand here, creating a broad plinth (with wide stairs to reach it) on which they rest the shell. This allows for the arena inside to be ringed by what appears as clerestory windows for a luminous glow, while they also function as entry doorways. The ribbing on the underside of the roof is great, heightening the visual pull of the curving ribs all the way up to the amazing oculus.
In addition to the biggie hall there’s a smaller and way more intimate theatre, also done in the round. But the pièce de résistance (and the thing that really piqued my interest) is a third performance space that consists of large saltwater float/thermal bath under a vaulted dome illuminated by another soft oculus. Music is pumped into the water and the room so you can float and listen, which just sounds absolutely lovely.
Very fun project. A great venue for all sorts of arts and performances, that ties into its community both in site (including the nearby ruins of a train station bombed during WW2) and in its large outdoor terrace, and that adds a bistro and, especially, that spa and float tank for a space of ultimate unwinding. Great work.
Lynx Thoughts 