Theatre Podium

Further investigating small spaces, I also looked at the theatre podium in Rotterdam. This is an interesting project to look at because of the dynamic presented here. The stage is multifunction and adapt accordingly, this is perfect as I look to design a cube that could similarly adapt and change accordingly. 

On the initiative of the Rotterdam Rotary Club an invited architectural competition was organized in the autumn of 2004, for which Atelier Kempe Thill submitted the winning entry. The theatre podium was conceived as a large urban stage. Two service cores – 5m in height – rise from a 50cm high base. Between these two volumes a roof covers 30m in free span, with the resulting open frame forming the stage. The stage space has a double orientation, both towards the square and the water, making it possible for performances to be viewed from both sides. A further possible viewing arrangement could be to place the audience itself on the ‘stage’. The southern service core accommodates a stage curtain measuring 70m in length when unravelled. Depending on the event taking place, this curtain can be used to adjust the stage size, or even completely transform the stage itself into an enclosed ‘curtained space’.

(Stage without curtain)