Theatre and Auditorium in Aragon
- Peter Popp
The small town of Illueca with its population of nearly 3000 is situated in one of the least densely populated areas of Aragon, roughly 60 km west of Zaragoza. Considering that the population of this barren mountainous region has been shrinking for years and in order to prevent it from declining further, the municipality decided to significantly expand cultural services. In 2016 they advertised a competition for the construction of a theatre. The new cultural building was intended as a replacement for the aged cinema at the eastern border of the town centre. The winning competition entry by Magén Arquitectos convinced jury by proposing an additive tectonic ensemble of building volumes that harmonises with the heterogeneous small scale surroundings in a restrained manner. The main functions are distributed across four interconnected volumes that are skilfully anchored in the urban context: They include an immense stage space that recalls the gently sloping site, connected to the residential structures in the north; a central auditorium with room for 224 visitors; and an adjacent foyer facing the street including the main entrance, oriented towards the south and bordering auxiliary rooms. A continuous building envelope comprised of red masonry brick binds the individual volumes together and is reminiscent of the rich regional tradition of pottery. Variations in brick formats and bonds create an expressive visual interplay of patterns and textures. The silhouette of the tailor-made building ensemble is constituted by the different heights and orientations of the copper-clad pitched roofs. For the pedestal area, stepping downward, red sandstone from local quarries found use.
