Pentorama Festival Hut in Amriswil
With a population of only 11,500, Amriswil in Switzerland has erected a festival hall that can accommodate audiences of up to 2,500 people from the surrounding areas. The official title of the building, Pentorama, reflects its five-sided layout, but this multi-purpose hall bears the far more attractive name Festival Hut, which recalls the timber structure that formerly stood on the site. Clad entirely in copper, the new building has an introverted appearance. Even the requisite window openings are concealed behind perforated copper sheeting. On one side, however, the hall does open itself to the outside world, namely where the recessed glazed entrance draws in visitors like a gaping mouth. The restrained foyer leads to the festival hall itself, which is distinguished by a fabric-like alternation of lemon-yellow and olive-green acoustic panels with slit perforations. Behind these panels are two layers of felt, 20 cm of mineral wool, and the powerful steel structure that bears the roof.
