Location: Dublin, Ireland.

Architect: Daniel Libeskind .

Daniel Libeskind’s Grand Canal Theatre, part of the larger development by Chartered Land, is a dramatic addition to Dublin’s docklands created by a world-class team of designers. The 2100-seat venue, managed by Live Nation Ireland, opened its doors for the first time to the public on Thursday, March 18th, 2010. It creates a focus for its urban context, specifically Grand Canal Square, with a five-star hotel and residences on one side and an office building on the other. The architectural concept of the Grand Canal Theatre is based on stages: the theatre itself, the piazza, and the multiple-level theatre lobby. The Grand Canal Square Theatre and Commercial Development is a cultural presence expressed in dynamic volumes sculpted to project a fluid and transparent public dialogue with the cultural, commercial and residential surroundings.

The façade is comprised of two overlapping, folding glazed screens, with the main theatre entrance situated in between. The auditorium design concept draws on shipbuilding imagery, with suspended ‘sails’ and large protruding ‘rib’ volumes. John Sisk & Son Ltd. acted as the general contractor.

Photo Credit: Ros Kavanagh.