Regional Theatre Biobío

Description

This innovative theatre was the winner of a competition held by the Chilean Council of Culture in 2011. This public body has been working for years to make public building understand architecture as a cultural expression and not as a purely utilitarian issue. The new theatre, with its radical contemporaneity, is a good example of this. Conceived by Smiljan Radic as an “envelope for fiction”, the theatre is designed as a flexible container capable of hosting a wide variety of shows. The reinforced concrete structure forms a three dimensional grid containing two halls with a capacity of 1200 and 250 people, respectively. Reversing the normal arrangement of stage spaces, the exterior of the building is set up as a scaffolding, revealing that which makes the performance possible and which is normally out of sight. Rather than separating the private space from the public, the lightweight envelope marks the blurred dividing line between the world of theatre and the everyday world. In fact, the ground floor is left open as an extension of the exterior platform. The building is set into the landscape as if it were an industrial facility, a common feature of river landscapes around the world. The triangulated steel tube structure and the translucent PTFE envelope reinforce this idea both formally and functionally. The building envelope serves as a climate control tool and is supported by additional systems, such as large openings that conduct excess heat to the outside in summer. The Teatro Biobío is a great example of how architecture and culture dialogue to shape the territory and the human landscape with a view to the future. A Chilean symbol of hope after the great earthquake of 2010.