City Theatre of Qazvin

Qazvin, Iran

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City Theatre of Qazvin

Qazvin, Iran

Firm

GRI co.

Type

Cultural › Hall/Theater

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2023

SIZE

10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft

BUDGET

Unknown

The current project is the City Theater of Qazvin, a two-story structure with a basement. This public building provide a suitable space for professional theater performances in the form of a Black Box. It has also provided artists and theater enthusiasts with open spaces intended for street theater.
The project was designed on a 2,200-square-meter plot acquired after demolishing an inefficient urban area, which included several stalls in disrepair.
The total floor area is 1,970 square meters.
The ground floor of the building consists of a glass volume where the general project spaces, including theater rehearsal rooms, meeting and arbitration rooms, management offices, information desks, ticket sales, and a cafeteria, are located.
This glass volume serves as a base for the white cube above, where the main theater performance hall is located. The white cube is placed exactly above the glass volume, providing an abstract sense of suspension.
The first floor (the white brick cube) includes the primary theater hall (the Black Box) along with its waiting area.
The basement floor includes restrooms, a workshop for set construction, storage areas, and utility spaces.
The site was located adjacent to Mellat Park in Qazvin. Two key points were the focuses of this project’s design:
1. First, the proximity of the project to the aged trees and vibrant greenery of Mellat Park
2. Second, turning the building into a hub for theater artists and dramatic arts enthusiasts. This was particularly important as Qazvin previously lacked a professional theater venue.
Consequently, we needed to refrain from designing a rigid structure that would obstruct the park’s green landscape. This posed a paradoxical challenge with the building’s theater purpose, which needed to take shape within a rigid “Black Box”.
Qazvin’s theater community had requested the construction of a "Black Box" style performance hall since this type of facility was previously unavailable in the city.
We encased the black box theater inside a light and porous white brick box to resolve this paradox.
To improve the visual lightness and create a sense of suspension in the form, we cantilevered the structure above a glass box. Then, we excavated the site and placed the boxes inside the sunken courtyard in order to create the necessary height for the theater hall.
Using this method ensured that the building’s height did not obstruct the park’s views. Additionally, the porosity among the volumes allowed for a constant visual connection between the building’s exterior and interior.
The brick curtain was constructed using a dry technique (without mortar). The space between the bricks was filled with custom-designed Teflon components that were molded explicitly for this project.
This brick curtain has transformed the waiting hall on the first floor into a unique environment. On one side, the interplay of light and shadow through the spaces in the bricks creates an atmosphere that changes throughout the day. On the other side, there is a constant visual connection between those inside the waiting hall and the park and street outside. This allows those inside to clearly experience the presence of the park trees. Since this floor is level with the park’s height, visitors can enjoy views of people strolling through the park and the street, the flight of birds, the movement of tree leaves, and the natural beauty of the surroundings from inside the waiting hall.
This transparency, light, reflections, and open views in the waiting hall have a meaningful contrast to the performance hall.
As visitors exit this transparent space and enter the dark and dimly lit performance hall, their connection to the city is utterly severed. Then comes the time to witness and concentrate on the play the directors have prepared for them.
To invite the public to this site, wide staircases were designed on three sides. These steps serve as seating for watching street performances and also provide a great area for citizens to gather and spend time.

Architects:
Mahdi Karimi – Samira Fadakari
Golden Rectangle Idea )GRI( Consulting Engineers
Assistants:
Maryam Rahmani - Farzaneh Hosseini
Presentation:
Zahra Samaei – Mahya Fani
Structural Design:
Mostafa Nikfetrat
Mechanical Design:
Jafar Barkhordari
Electrical Design:
Ali Nemati
Supervising Team:
Ali Nemati – Mohammad Hajifaraji – Mohammad Reza Ataei – Zahra Samaei – Elham Naghdi – Mohammad Jenabi
Chief Supervisors:
Milad Norouzifar – Mahdi Karimi
Main Contractor:
Maharband Sazan Alborz co.
Client:
Qazvin Municipality
Operator:
Cultural and Sports Organization, Qazvin Municipality
Client Supervisors:
Soleyman Bahrami-Amir Abolhasani-Abdoreza Hesami-Mohammad Sekhavattalab-Hamidreza Heidari-Kiumars Fadaeifar-Mohammad Hafezi-Sanaz Karimianha
Project Photographers:
Deed Studio - Erfan Dadkhah