SYLVAN THEATRE

Long lost between a groove, surrounded by overgrown birches, lay the ruins of a once lively structure. We begin by accepting the fate of the current ruins, and honor its memory by limiting our area of intervention to the ‘footprint’ left by the the old building, ensuring that absolutely no tree is harmed on the process. Just like the trees around it, its roots dig deep into the earth and into the memory. Imagining the park without the theatre and vice versa proves to be a daunting task. It was not only the trees that grew around the theatre, it was the whole city and its people, a fundamental aspect that our proposal seeks to respect.

Using the demolished material, we propose to ‘raise’ the new space over a mound (the Kurgan), the last resting place of the old Sylvan is the same place where the new generations will come to hang out, a plateau capable of holding 702 people comfortably. Inside the footprint, the next step is to distribute the zones precisely, according to the technical requirements of a building of this nature, we kept areas like the scenario and the screening/ technical point in its old positions, but redesigned and positioned them accordingly to the new technical standards like keeping the ideal foldable screen distance to a projector. Around these loose points, we create a wall perimeter at the ground level, that serves as container for the mound, and as enclosure for the backstage area where the changing rooms and services are located (behind scenario).

Following this containment perimeter, a belt of columns was raised, its structural function is vital to hold the proposed foldable textile roof, but it was also used here to support a gallery that surrounds the theatre in the first floor, and which leads to a contemplation point behind the stage. Finally, over the structure, a plane that follows the exact shape of the footprint is placed, recalling the tree cups, and from its border, a series of wooden vertical elements create a natural external enclosure, they’re rhythmic display has the purpose of blending the Sylvan with its surrounding forests, while providing it with a morphological pureness and a strong presence.

View towards the scenario and seating area