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La Llotja theatre and conference
centre - Lleida, Spain
Mise-en-scène
The mountain with its historic cathedral Seu Vella and the Segre River marks the
high point and low point of Lleida (Lerida), the second city of Catolonia,
following Barcelona. La Llotja theatre and conference center sits on the banks
of the Segre, somewhat outside the centre of the city. Mecanoo’s design
interprets the landscape of Lleida as the exciting scenery before which the
building has been placed, somewhat further from the river. The mise-en-scène is
elaborated on three levels of scale. Regarded from the large scale of the
region, the building forms a link between the river and the mountain. Viewed
from the urban scale, La Llotja and the river form a balanced composition. At
street level the cantilevers of La Llotja de Lleida provide protection from sun
and rain.
Foyers
The large stone edifice seems to have sprouted from the Spanish earth. The
building’s horizontal form provides a large garden on the roof, while under the
cantilevers begins a square for events, with the stairs of the adjacent building
serving as a tribune. Parking has been created underground with the loading area
for trucks on the ground level, the same level where the theatre stage, dressing
rooms and restaurant kitchen are found. Small trucks can load and unload on
level -1. In a light court in the centre of the building, a monumental staircase
rises from street level to the multifunctional hall on the first floor. A ramp
leads on to the foyer on the second level where there is a panoramic window
looking out across the city and the river. The entrances to the theatre, which
also serve as a large conference hall, meeting rooms and a small conference room
are located in the foyer. The latter is visually connected to the
multifunctional hall by means of a raked tribune separated by a glass wall. The
press office, VIP rooms and a meeting centre are situated on the city side of
the building, accessed by an internal corridor. The entire functional logistics
for the theatre and the conference centre are situated inconspicuously but
extremely functionally. Restaurants with bars are located on the side of La
Llotja facing the river and the square. The monolithic building is in fact
composed of different pieces of buildings linked together by sound-absorbing
foyers.
Roof garden
Materials ensure distinction and orientation in the interior. The exterior is of
stone. Inside there are mainly white, plastered walls and either wooden or
marble floors. The entrance hall and the multi-functional hall have a marble
floor, while the foyer has a floor of mixed hardwood. The theatre has the
atmosphere of an orchard with walls of dark wood in which trees of light have
been cut out. Thousands of leaves on the ceiling light the hall. The colour
palette of fruit is a theme that recurs in small details throughout the
building. After all, the region of Lleida is famous for its fruit production.
The roof is colourful: pergolas support a range of creepers and climbers like
roses, jasmine and ivy. The garden with its mirador is not only pleasant but
also useful since the roof cover keeps the building cool in the summer, provides
a beautiful view for people living in the neighbourhood and serves an extra
place for conference guests to sojourn.
Programme: Theatre and conference
centre of 37,500 m2 with a theatre (1000 seats), 2 congress halls (400 and 200
seats) which can be divided into smaller halls, an exhibition hall, 2
multifunctional foyers, press room, restaurant, lounge, 9,500 m² parking, a
square of 15,325 m2, Mercolleida office and retail space of 2,591 m2, 1st prize
competition.
Design:
Mecanoo
architecten -
Labb arquitectura,
Barcelona.
Client: Centre de Negocis i de
Convencions S.A., Lleida, Spain (project); Municipality of Lleida (competition)
Lleida
Project address: l’Avenida de
Tortosa, Lleida,
Spain
Design: 2005
Realization: 2007 -2010
Imágenes gentileza >
Fotógrafo: Carlos
Lozano
hacer click en las imágenes para ampliarlas |
