Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Architect: BOLLES+WILSON GmbH, Julia B Bolles Peter Wilson.

The new Luxor theater is part of the redevelopment plan for the Rotterdam port area, which is set to become a new hub for urban expansion. The theater has been given the strategic role of animating and qualifying the area, which will mainly host offices and residences. The Luxor is a popular institution with a tradition of musical and cabaret performances, but its old facilities were inadequate for modern media and stage setups. The new structure has a modernly equipped stage tower and an acoustically optimized hall for both traditional and contemporary music. The building is adjacent to the new Erasmus Bridge designed by Ben van Berkel, and the main entrance to the theater opens onto the road axis under a large portal with the illuminated sign “Luxor.” The portal emerges from the volume of the stage tower, projecting with a thin partition towards the bridge. The entrance is purely functional, as the interior elements are distributed in a dynamic sequence to involve the space 360 degrees without privileging any particular direction. The limited land area available has led to a functional and spatial invention that is very characteristic.