Roof over Open-Air Stage in Lapua

A former munitions factory in Finland has been converted into a municipal cultural centre. Thelargest and oldest building is a red-brick structure that now houses a library, a school of music, adult education facilities and exhibition spaces. The complex is laid out about a small courtyard, in the north-east corner of which is astage with a temporary fabric roof. The white, PVC-coated polyester sail is suspended from three black-painted steel masts. Two tetrahedral concrete foundations clad with prepatinated stainless-steel on two faces anchor the construction in the ground. A perforated polyester fabric screen along the open south side of the courtyard provides additional wind protection. The lightweight construction of the roof, with its soft, white, curving form, creates a bold contrast to the rectilinear character of the old red-brick buildings.