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Theater Agorai 1 2 . t ~ ~

UNS/udio I Ben "an &r1d + B M ;. 0


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". Masscorcect

The Iv;pa Theater is an extremely lXllourlul , determinedly upbeat place. Thebuilding is part of the masterplan for l e lystad by Adnaan Geuze, whid l aimsto revita lize the pragmatic, sober town center. The theater responds to theongoing mission of reviving and recovering the post -war Dutch new towns byfocusing on the archetypal function of a theater. that of creating a world ofaurce and enchantment. Both inside and outside walls are faceted to reconstruct the kaleidoscopic experience of the wo rld of the stage, where you cannever be sure of what is rea l and what is not. In the Ago ra theater drama andperforma nce are not restricte d to the stage and to the evening, but areextended to the urban experience and to daytime.

The typology of the theater is fascinating in itself, but Ben van Benc.el , whohas a special interest in how bu ildings communicate with people, aims toexploit the performance element of the thea ter and of architecture in generalfar beyond its conventiona l functioning

The faceted outlines of the theater have a Ioog history n the worl< of UNStucIOand Van Berkel & 80s Architecture office before that. In this case, the enve-lope is generated in part by the necessity to place the t'NO aud itoriums as fa rapart from each other as possible for acoustic reasons. Thus, a larger and asmaller theatrical space, a stage tower, several interlinked and separate foy-ers, numerous dressing rooms, multi-functional rooms, a cafe and a restau-rant are all brought together within one volume that protrudes dramatically invarious directions. This faceted envelope also results in a more even silhouette; the raised technica l block containing the stage mach inery, which coudotherwise have been a visual obstacle in the town, is now smoothly incorporated . All of the facades have sharp angles and jutt ing planes, which are covered by steel plates and glasses, often layered , in sha des of ye llow andoranqe. These pro trusions afford places where the spectade of display iscontinued off-stage and the roles of performer and viewer may be reversed.The artists's foyer, for instance, is above the entrance, enabling the artists towatch the audience approaching the theater from a large , inclined window.

Inside, the OOIourfulness of the outside increases in intensity; a handr


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Top View

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First floorplan Second floor plan' '0


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Southeast tecedeview Northwest facade view

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Ben van Berkel I I! 't.f11\_Ben lIan Be-xer stcoeo archnectu re at the Rletl leld Academy InAmsterdam and atne A r c t l r t e c l ~ a l Association In London, lecer-,ogthe AADloloma.....,hHonours 111 1987.tn 1966 he and Carol ine Bos set UP an a rcr stecturat practice InAmste- 'll!81'llC/. jI!.q : : I ~ ~ g 3 . ~ ' U u t 2 ! 0 I e e - A E / i l ~ ~ J I . ! ! ler 1 ' l \ ! l { j j " l 1 t . i ' . * .&8\:


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Th ird lloor plan

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Second floor pan

First floor plan

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