DESA1002 'Continuous City' David Kirkland

Abstract

The studio theatre is situated within the city of Amsterdam. The design concept is to provide a theatre as an escape from the busy city, a place where people can enjoy live performances while forgetting about the rat race. The context of the city provided the scale limitations for the building so that the theatre fits into the rich fabric of the city. The program has been arranged to allow for a clear separation between the private spaces (backstage and apartment) and the public spaces of the foyer. The structure has been used to reinforce the idea of escape. First people enter the foyer with its light weight structure and translucent cladding. The foyer forms an intermediate space between the theatre and the outside world. The translucent cladding allows natural light into the foyer during the day while still providing some privacy and at night it makes the building glow and turn into a city landmark. In contrast the auditorium is a solid concrete structure to completely block out light and sound from the outside world and transport the audience to the new world created within the theatre.