Emmen Theatre and Zoo, designed by Henning Larsen Architects and Van den Berg Groep, is an unusual cultural building that brings together culture and nature. The building design, which won the first prize in the international competition, will constitute the entrance to a large zoological park of 10 hectares and comprises two main stages with a capacity of 1,150 people in total, an additional stage, exhibition and conference facilities. The building in itself covers 16,000 m2. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The contrast between city and nature are united in the building design where the rectangular frame structure and the organic, curved roof merge into each other. The roof arouses associations of an animal’s back. It creates a distinctive entrance to the zoo and stands out as part of the city skyline. The building will be a large theatre in itself. Viewed from the city, it opens up as a magic window towards the natural wildlife in the zoo – while the city is staged as a large urban universe viewed from the zoo.
The design incorporates the surrounding outdoor spaces in a unifying scenography: The large new urban square; the landscape element, introducing the zoological park; the roof landscape, providing visitors with the opportunity to take a break from the noise and activity of the city.
The building design as a large stage structure allows the theatre to stage many different activities. The walls can be moved, and it is possible to open up the small stages and thus create new outdoor stages. In addition, the main passage area of the building situated in connection with the foyer balconies constitutes a magnificent stage opening up to city life.
Sustainability has been an important design parameter in the development of the new theatre in Emmen. The integration of daylight, geometry and flexibility in the building reduces the energy consumption without use of technology. The design is energy-efficient in itself and forms an important part of the sustainability concept of the building. The design ensures a good indoor climate and a comfortable outdoor climate on the urban square under the roof. The large overhangs of the east and west facades protect the square from the sun and rain. Forming part of the frame structure, the remaining facades are solid and feature large windows to the north and small openings to the south. Plenty of overhead lights in the roof provide the various foyers and halls with ample daylight.
Emmen Theatre is a compact volume. The flexible design allows for the sizes of the various rooms to be adjusted as needed and reduces the energy consumption for heating or cooling. The large foyer and meeting space serves as a buffer for natural ventilation. The roof landscape of the theatre plays an important role in terms of reducing energy costs. The collection of rainwater cools down the entire structure through the concrete. At the same time, the roof collects water for watering the roof garden and for filling up the small canals and lakes, which – as small water falls – fall from the roof into the fountain in front of the building.
Architects: Henning Larsen Architects and Van den Berg Groep Location: Emmen, The Netherlands Team from Henning Larsen Architects: Troels Troelsen (creative manager), Martin Stenberg, Thomas Ponds, Mohammad Wesam Al Asali, Adam Ciuk and Joakim Allerth Team from Van den Berg Groep: Dick van de Merwe and André Lageweg Client: City of Emmen Gross floor area: 16,000 m2 Construction period: 2012-2015 Type of Assignment: 1st prize in international competition
