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Murcia Congress Hall

Opposite to the Murcia Auditorium, the new Congress Centre was meant to fulfil the programme of the existing construction, which did not allow a physical attachment given its emphatic triangular shape. However the mild climate and the character of the site let both buildings achieve a virtual connection throughout an open garden. The building is organised by means of a series of naves linked by patios, openings for light, tying up a mesh that alters the perception of what is indoors or what is outdoors. Inside, orientation is achieved by the permanent vision of the outside: towards the Auditorium and the landscape. In and out confound in the glazing reflections and the rooms succeed each other in an intimate lightened space, throughout the courtyards, whose measurement keep the direct sunlight controlled within a constant transparency.

The necessary volumes and height of the Olimpia Theatre preside Lavapiés square. Leaning on the nearby party walls, the volumes in which the building is divided adapt to the triangular geometry of the site and they retract to enlarge the existing square. The glazed front of these pieces opens up to the urban space in the historical center of Madrid and transforms at night into an attractive source of light. A continuous interior space gives access to the theatre and overlooks the square through large windows. The programme of the building is varied: a hall for contemporary theatre, a lecture room, a rehearsal hall and scenic areas in order to host avant-garde and alternative theatre. The hall is planned as a neutral and versatile space with capacity for 500 seats, from which 130 are located on a retractable platform. Meanwhile, the stage can be extended towards the hall by means of movable platforms, which allow the complete integration of both. This way, it is possible to build up a vast container with the only limit of imagination: from a conventional hall to the most stimulating stage design.