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Limestone
The Theatre and Conference Center La Llotja is an eco-engineered sustainable building set at the crossing of the river Segre and the high speed railway entrance of the city of Lleida. It intends to express the ambition of Lleida in having a congress centre where people will come together, not only to learn and exchange information but also to enjoy theatre. MECANOO created a new urban space as a part of a long esplanade along the river park of the Segre. In the same way in which La Llotja is created from an enormous rock of limestone: this building feels as if it is growing from the earth of the Spanish land. The building endeavours to be an intermediary between the mountain Seu Vella and the river Segre. It is a child of the city Lleida. Together with two vertical apartment towers, and the horizontal river park, the theatre and congress centre form a balanced composition.
Shadow and shelter
The form of the building is made to create shadow on the many hot days and shelter on the little rainy days. By placing the back of house program and loading and unloading below the square, the ground floor space is therefore freed, as much as possible from unnecessary program. The raised floors act as large cantilevers who welcome visitors from all directions. It is here where the entrance, the ticket offices, the restaurant with terraces and small shops are located. A flood of light welcomes you to La Llotja as it permeates through the massive composite whilst ramps invite you to ascend. Outside, in conjunction with the steps like a tribune of the extension of the Mercolleida building, the new square can also facilitate events.
Red, gold, blue
Whilst seeing the building as a monolithic limestone rock, the interior is composed by three elements connected by natural stone ramps and floors. The main one is the big theatre which is wrapped in a red velvet skin on an acoustic sub-structure. The other is the gold coloured multi-functional hall, and the last is the blue lounge of the club. Doors are made by warm coloured wood, in addition to neutral white walls.
Theatre/main auditorium, acoustic aspects
The main auditorium is designed primarily for optimal speech intelligibility and perfect sight lines to suit the congress function in the best possible way. The floor plan follows the principles of the classical “horse shoe” that is well known for its intimacy and good acoustic conditions for music and opera without loss of quality for speech. The “natural” reverberation time will be 1.0 – 1.2 seconds. For improved ambience for music and opera, if the client wishes so, we would suggest an electro-acoustic enhancement system to increase reverberation for music and opera performances without compromising the congress quality. Simultaneous use of the 3 main halls without acoustical disturbance is guaranteed by the positioning of these halls in the building, using the foyer and circulation zones as buffer spaces. For this purpose all entrances will have acoustical buffer for adequate sound insulation between the halls and the foyers.
Routing and logistics
A congress centre is a logistic puzzle. On the one hand it’s about “crowd handling”, on the other it’s about serving this crowd. Various types of functions like congresses, exhibitions, theatre, reunions and fairs make the use of it complex. The building must be suitable for 1000 persons, but also intimate for 10.
To avoid large trucks on street level MECANOO placed the loading area on -2 levels. Here you will also find storage, the stage, dressing rooms and the kitchen. A cargo lift connects the kitchen with the satellite kitchen of the restaurant and to the multifunctional hall on the first floor where large banquets can be organised.
The main congress functions are organised on only two floor levels. Visitors are invited to ascend the lazy stairs to the first level where a large foyer connects the theatre and a multi-functional hall. The foyer contains different aspects of checking in like security, registration, wardrobes and lavatories.
From here you can continue the lazy steps to the business and congress centre on the second level where the different rooms can be used independently from each other. Finally you arrive in the “club la Llotja”, allowing the business guests to lounge whilst viewing through the panoramic window as the world changes from sunset to darkness.
Roof garden
On top of La Llotja is a roof garden with belvedaire, creeper hills, pergolas and solar panels. The roof garden has several functions: a special outdoor space for conference guests with a belvedaire looking at the city, the creeper covered surface is cooling down the building during warm season and the solar panels are catching light whole year long. Four types of creepers have been chosen to grow on the roof: Bougainvillea, Wisteria, Actinidiacea and Aristolochia durior. The flower hills and pergolas will be changing from deep fuchsia flowers, light purple flower grapes and white buds, related to seasons.
Finally, a coloured roof composition creates an attractive view for the surrounding apartments of Lleida, a crucial event giving new identity to the neighourhood.
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Location:
Lérida, Lleida, Spanje
Description:
Theatre/congress centre of 17.500 m2 with two congress halls (1200 and 400 seats), the largest functions as a theatre as well, a multifunctional space and a lounge
Design:
2005
Structural engineer:
ABT bv, Delft
Mechanical engineer:
Deerns Raadgevende Ingenieurs b.v., Rijswijk (and eco engineer)
Consultant accoustics:
Peutz b.v., Zoetermeer