![]() ![]() ![]() The building cost E150m (E100m for the structure and E50m for the interior). Clients want the theatre to be used by the city and the public, for cultural and commercial activities – we have to make it more than just a theatre.Ĭan you tell us about the Mercedes Benz Museum? The latest request from clients is to factor in a 24-hour lifecycle for the theatre. In another project, the Theatre Agora in Lelystad, the Netherlands, we had to split the foundations to make sure there were no vibrations moving from one auditorium to another. We created a ‘box within a box,’ so there’s no acoustic interference between the two spaces. Each has two auditoria, so you have to deal with the acoustics very carefully to stop sound from one travelling to the other. There are a lot of pragmatic considerations related to both theatres. He can be seen from viewpoints on all different levels, so the foyer is like a stage as he steps out of his everyday life. The foyer – which is unobstructed by columns, and features a huge sculptural staircase – celebrates the visitor as though he is an actor in a scene from a play. Theatre de Stoep features a huge open foyer. In these two projects lots of ideas came together. What insights can you share about theatre design from these two projects? That’s what I like so much about designing theatres. For me, it’s about stepping into a different reality, but whether you see it as a form of escapism or as an enrichment of your own reality, what matters to me is that richness. Our visits were always followed by discussions about the music, the show, the acoustics and how the environment related to the performance. My mother was a singer so we often went to the theatre when I was young. I’ve always found the theatre an exciting place. You recently completed Theatre de Stoep in the Netherlands, and you’re working on the Lyric Theatre for the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong. Here the Dutch architect explains why we should aspire to find flexibility in function, and how design in the cultural arena influences his approach to other typologies. Van Berkel’s position as a leading theorist, author and professor – he is Kenzo Tange Chair at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and professor of conceptual design at Städelschule, Frankfurt – shows itself in the layered intelligence of his high-tech buildings. ![]() Projects include the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany the Ponte Parodi harbour project in Genoa, Italy a new metro system for Qatar and the Theater de Stoep in Spijkenisse in the Netherlands. UNStudio is a network of specialists in architecture, urban development and infrastructure, with a focus on innovation, sustainability and efficiency. Since 1988, Ben van Berkel and his business partner, urban planner Caroline Bos, have championed a collaborative approach to architecture, first through the Van Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau, and then through UNStudio, which they set up in 1998. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |