Sanierung und Erweiterung Theater in Kouvola / Kouvolan teatterin peruskorjaus ja laajennus (FI)

Theaters are for big emotions. The focus is on the encounter between the audience and the performance. However, as a building, a theater must not only enable these encounters, but also create conditions in which the performances are produced safely and efficiently. A theater is a workplace, where the conditions must allow for the creation of art.

Kouvola Theater is part of the city’s cultural quarter, within which it is linked to sports and physical activity. The accessible, inviting cultural quarter housing the theater, the Kuntotalo sports hall building and the stadium for Finnish baseball, will be enhanced by creating a new Teatteriaukio plaza at its heart. The plaza will be flanked by the theater’s new and existing entrance halls, the theater restaurant and the glowing bridge-like foyer connecting the two sides of the building. The underside of the existing auditorium begins a series of arches. The plaza is illuminated by hanging lights, creating a festive atmosphere, especially during the darker hours. The arched lower surface of the new studio stage will be clad in wood. The repeating arch shapes help link the different parts of the complex together. The theater will open to the street: the facades of the existing building will be opened up so that the conference room and the offices will be integrated into the city. A restaurant will occupy the corner of the plaza. The large windows in the costume shop will both reveal the work that goes on behind the scenes and give a peek into the performances to come.

A functional ensemble within the budget frame: The existing theater hall will be renovated and expanded. The extension of the theater building will contain up-to-date facilities for a new studio stage, rehearsal hall and workshops. Having studied the context, we have come to the conclusion that a proper, newbuilt large theater hall would not fit on the site without the demolition of the neighboring Kuntotalo building. Taking into consideration the functional richness, operational economy, construction costs and, above all, the building conservation aspects, we suggest that the hall in the Kuntotalo building is retained, and the existing theater building used to its full potential. Conservation-oriented solutions are the best also from an ecological point of view. Our design therefore aims for as little demolition of the existing buildings as possible. We additionally encourage the use of both recycled steel and lots of wood material in the extension.

The new Teatteriaukio plaza will become a shared outdoor space benefiting not just the cultural quarter but the entire city of Kouvola. It will act as the gateway to the Kuntotalo building and the baseball stadium and be an outdoor extension of the theater’s two entrance halls, but also an event venue in itself. The extension of the theater will be equipped with inviting entrance. However, also the public entrance of the existing theater will remain in use. The two sides of the theater will be connected by a new foyer on second floor level. The public will therefore be able to access the new and old theater halls, the Kuntotalo halls, the conference room, as well as the restaurant through either entrance. Together, the facilities will allow for a wide range of events.

Stages: The side and rear stages of the existing large theater hall will be extended, and the orchestra pit will be equipped with a hoist. As a result, the hall’s seating capacity will increase to 404 seats. The acoustics of the hall will be modified to better support speech and amplified sound. The new studio stage will be a flexible theater space with a tension wire grid lower ceiling allowing for multiple variations of AV and theater technology. Seating is also flexible as it will mainly consist of modular, mobile bleachers. The rehearsal hall, the size of a large hall, can also be used for performances and events. It can be connected to the studio stage by opening the partition wall separating the two spaces. In this situation, some of the bleachers from the studio stage can be rolled into the rehearsal hall.

Production facilities: The clear and spacious workshop areas will be on stage level. Service traffic will be re-arranged in such a way that also the loading dock is on the same level. A straight, wide corridor will connect these areas.

Staff facilities: Offices will be located on ground level with windows opening to the city, whereas dressing rooms, hairdressing, make-up and property shop are next to the renovated main stage. The greenroom has the best possible location behind the public foyer in the middle of the complex.

Phasing & flexibility: The extension is built first. The construction works will not cause any disruption to the operations of the old theater building. For the duration of the renovation works, all activities within the old theater building can be temporarily relocated to the extension. The overall scale of the project can still be reconsidered during the design process: the functional concept allows for the extension to be scaled both up or down.