operalab temporary pavilion for the grand theatre in warsaw

operalab temporary pavilion for the grand theatre in warsaw, polandimage © UGO architecture

due to its architectural expression and its role in the urban planning of warsaw, the grand theatre building designed by polish practice UGO architecture and kooper -magda piotrowska for operalab is manifested with an original form – the pyramid, which is the result of a consistent analysis. the character and function of the row of interior spaces, the entrance, auditorium and stage, finds its reflection in the arrangement of forms composing the body of the construct.

the pavilion is a repetition of this organization and thus gives it an additional meaning. the vertical arrangement of the elementsallows for an introduction of optional modifications, a smooth transition between the spaces, the hierarchy of which is inviolable. disturbing the arrangement results in the spectator being led directly onto the stage and then moving on to the centre which is the entrance area. as a result of the layout, the meaning of the archetypal theater is transformed and becomes open to everyday life.

pavilionimage © UGO architecture

not the actors but the spectators become the subject of a spectacle. they do not have to go through a long initiation in order to watch the play, it is the play that meets him/her halfway. the shapes that symbolize the individual volumes of the theater are hung on aluminum grids and create a flexible stage scenery for the events happening in the pavilion. the experience includes a sequence of events, assembling around the smallest rectangular cuboid (entrance area) and then proceeding to sit in the auditorium while the stage curtain (cylinder) comes down around them. the actors then gather in the outer area between the cylinder and the largest rectangular cube. after the curtain has risen, the spectator is surrounded by actors and the spectacle begins.

view from the streetimage © UGO architecture

assembled in a variety of environmentsimage © UGO architecture

interiorimage © UGO architecture

ideaimage © UGO architecture

diagramsimage © UGO architecture

axonometicimage © UGO architecture

floor planimage © UGO architecture

sectionimage © UGO architecture

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