Theatre Agora | UNStudio

When the dramatic nature of theater combines with the structure and form of architecture what is produced can only be considered art much like the Theatre Agora by UNStudio. Located in a city called Lelystad in the Netherlands, this extremely colorful and upbeat building contains two theatrical auditoriums, a stage tower, several interlinked and separate foyers, numerous dressing rooms, multifunctional rooms plus a café and restaurant. As part of the master plan for Lelystad by Adriaan Geoze, this building does an excellent job of revitalizing the pragmatic sober town center and creating a world of artifice and enchantment.

photography by © Iwan Baan

The faceted nature of the building was designed to emulate the kaleidoscopic experience of the world of the stage. Here drama and performance are not restricted to the stage but are extended into the urban experience where the building itself begins to have a dialogue with the people occupying it. The envelope is generated from by the necessity to place the two auditoriums as far apart from each other as possible for acoustical purposes. The exterior is cladded by steel plates and glass layered in shades of yellow and orange.

Inside the building, the hand rail is designed as a snaking pink ribbon that cascades down the main staircase and then winds itself around the void in the foyer space on the first floor before extending up the wall to the roof. As the ribbon moves through the space it gradually changes color from violet, crimson and cherry, to white adding to its dramatic presence. The artist foyer above the entrance allows artists to watch the audience as they approach the theatre, reversing the role of performer and viewer.

photography by © Iwan Baan

Finally what has to be the most impactful and memorial aspect to this design is the red main theatre. The stage itself is considered to be very big for the size of the town enabling the staging of large, international productions. The horse-shoe shaped balcony and vibrant forms and shades of the acoustic paneling make it so there is not a single dull point in the room, keeping the audience engaged even when they are not watching a performance. In the end UNStudio’s main focus besides the use of fun bright colors was construction, light, and circulation that inspired thoughts and images in order to make people want to stay longer and also to keep returning to discover more of what the theatre has to offer.