Residents of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, a municipality in the southern Netherlands, voted in favor of Amsterdam-based UNStudio’s design proposal for a new theater that will replace an existing, 1970s-era theater in Den Bosch, the colloquial name of this 141,000-person city.
The design, called Theater on the Parade, received 57% of 2,681 votes cast online, beating out Rotterdam-based Ector Hoogstad Architects’ more classical, brick-structured proposal. (The city also surveyed 5,000 residents.) The public’s vote, which was open to all local residents over 12 years old and ran through June 7, counted toward 50% of the municipality’s final decision.
The two finalists had been selected by a panel of judges.
UNStudio’s design for the 10,731-sm (115,500-sf) building integrates the theater’s four separate but connected volumes into its adjacent surroundings, which include a public square and St. John’s Cathedral. ArchDaily reports that the theater’s two auditoriums will feature natural stone facades, while the four-level, 19-meter-high public foyers will be wrapped in glass so the entire building becomes a natural extension of the square. The larger auditorium will be sunken slightly so as not to obscure the sightlines of the cathedral.
“Ideas surrounding sensation and cultural expression form the conceptual basis of the design,” explained Ben van Berkel, Founder and Principal of UNStudio.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017, and the project is scheduled for completion by 2020. No cost estimates were released.
The larger auditorium will seat 950 and is designed with walls covered with wooden lamellas for enhanced acoustics. The smaller, 420-seat auditorium, called Paradezaal, will be a flexible space and retractable seating to accommodate different kinds of events.
Related Stories
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Fluor, Arup, Day & Zimmermann top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, Perkins+Will, NBBJ top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
2014 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction magazine's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
| Jul 7, 2014
7 emerging design trends in brick buildings
From wild architectural shapes to unique color blends and pattern arrangements, these projects demonstrate the design possibilities of brick.
| Jul 7, 2014
A climate-controlled city is Dubai's newest colossal project
To add to Dubai's already impressive portfolio of world's tallest tower and world's largest natural flower garden, Dubai Holding has plans to build the world's largest climate-controlled city.
| Jul 2, 2014
Emerging trends in commercial flooring
Rectangular tiles, digital graphic applications, the resurgence of terrazzo, and product transparency headline today’s commercial flooring trends.
| Jun 30, 2014
Philip Johnson’s iconic World's Fair 'Tent of Tomorrow' to receive much needed restoration funding
A neglected Queens landmark that once reflected the "excitement and hopefulness" at the beginning of the Space Age may soon be restored.
| Jun 30, 2014
Research finds continued growth of design-build throughout United States
New research findings indicate that for the first time more than half of projects above $10 million are being completed through design-build project delivery.
| Jun 18, 2014
Arup uses 3D printing to fabricate one-of-a-kind structural steel components
The firm's research shows that 3D printing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste, and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.
| Jun 16, 2014
6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts
A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”
