Liepaja Theatre

Architectural concept:
The existing theatre of Liepaja is to be continued as logically and respectfully as possible. It is about continuing the history of the theatre into the present, a continuum in the temporal and spatial sense.
We don't want to create a break, a ‘contemporary’ foreign body next to it and connect it to the old theatre via a joint, but rather consciously build on the existing building, unfold it, expand it in one direction. The result is a larger theatre complex as a coherent unit: the entire Liepaja Theatre under one large roof. The differentiated roof landscape of the old theatre building will be folded further apart. However, the new sloping roof surfaces relate not only to the historic building, but also to the varied roof landscape of the entire Liepaja city centre. On the one hand, our design is therefore very contextual and endeavours to continue what is already there. On the other hand, the character of the extension is also set in the present and is therefore filigree, skeletal, ecological and transparent: transparency as a contrast to the monolithic solid construction of the old building, as an inviting gesture and to create a theatre for everyone that is as open and low-threshold as possible. The transparency also shows the working process of the theatre, the theatre becomes a culture factory by all of us and for all of us: a place for workshops, experiments and open formats of all kinds. A friendly and lively place, a meeting point, a place for celebrations with and for the city. A place at the crossroads of individual experience and collective experience, a space where the issues of today's world resonate to be shared, scrutinised and discussed.
It's about performances, encounters with artists, thematic debates, creative interaction with one another... We want to invite the audience to maintain an open curiosity for the world and to exchange ideas about current events and their diversity.

Construction, material:
The supporting structure of the above-ground storeys is designed as a timber construction with reinforced concrete cores. In addition to beams and columns for the vertical load transfer, wall panels and ceiling panels made of cross-laminated timber are also planned for the horizontal load transfer. The load paths are kept simple from the roof to the foundations. Timber trusses at selected points allow cantilevers and correspondingly column-free areas.
This combination of timber construction, simple load transfer and economical construction results in a sustainable building project that fulfils both ecological and economic requirements.