Theatre, eastern suburbs of Paris (France)

Alvaro Siza’s 1993 master plan – with this state theatre at its heart – attempts to restructure Montreuil’s centre, located east of Paris, following a crude refurbishment in the 1970s. Dominique Coulon has designed a building which mediates between the city centre – with its axis oriented to the Paris Bastille – and the rural environs.

It is like a knot which joins spatial, geographical, urban and symbolic dimensions. Coulon’s notion of city and architecture becomes clear in the dense building massing, which conceals a secret, but has spaces which are open for exchange and communication, as well.

The building complex, closed like a fist, has its correspondence in a series of spaces which expand and contract on the interior, reminiscent of the implausible spaces Alice in Wonderland traversed. In the entrance area, the ceiling above the reception desk has multiple folds, similar to a geological zone of convergence, where tectonic plates are on a collision course but manage to slide past each other. In the stairway, gyrating concrete volumes are bathed in Caravaggioesque light. Dark and light, empty and full, this red space expands horizontally, ultimately leading to the auditorium, and then contracts until it becomes lost in the darkness of the foyer. Breaches in the building envelope occasionally offer up views to the city and allow daylight to penetrate deep into the space.

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Theatre

Montreuil, France

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Theatre

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Team

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Theatre

Montreuil, France

Other Projects by Dominique Coulon & Associés

‘Charles Aznavour’ conservatoire of music, theatre and dance in Montigny-le-Bretonneux

Swimming pool complex in Fondettes

Current music scene, Youth and cultural center and library in Rennes. France

‘Jeanne-Marie’ home for people suffering from mental disorders, in Still

Animu Media Library

‘Moulon’ school group in Gif-sur-Yvette

'Simone Veil' group of schools in Villejuif

‘Pierre Bottero’ media library and park in Pélissanne

'Olympe de Gouges' group of schools

Bloom Coffee shop

School group René Beauverie

Group of schools

University canteen

High school

Kindergarten

Nursing Home and Hospital extension

High school

Nursery

Saint-Jean group of schools

Covered market and exhibition hall

Theatre

Montreuil, France

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team