Location: Pays D’Aix, France.

Architect: Piero Castiglioni.

The main feature of the new theater is the urban position: the relief of the land and the covered railway line that passes on one of its sides create the differences in altitude which are themselves considered design matter. The result is a succession of circular volumes that follow the straight line in Avenue Mozart. The circular plaza onto which the entrance to the theater opens is a true open-air theater space, a pedestrian bastion characterizes the upper part of the theatre, where the roof of the backstage tower becomes a large tree-lined patio with a café: this belvedere panoramic view of the surrounding city is like a small terraced hill covered in light stone. At the center of the structure is a large hall with a capacity of 1,300 people, with three tiers of stalls and galleries above. The stage can be adapted to suit various types of musical performances and performances. All the light fixtures have been specially designed. In the entrance hall, light accompanies people along their path: elegant suspended glass tubes with halogen lamps are distributed in a curvilinear pattern. The Auditorium room is equipped with a large central brass chandelier with bright bare bulbs, while single or combination projectors with bright optics illuminate the stalls. Collaboration: Arch. V. Gregotti

Photo credit: Di Bello.