Theatre Of The Mind: Agora Theater Lelystad (Netherlands)

Located in the Netherlands, The stand-alone, sculptural concert hall is the focal point of the masterplan for Lelystad, started in 2002. The vertical foyer, which swings through the entire building, connects different theatre and congress halls on the different floors. More information and photos after the jump...


The outer surface is marked by numerous cuts that separate it into geometric compositions, with decisive lines and an extremely dynamic effect. Sharp corners are contrasted by flat surfaces. These jut out in some points and are covered in steel and glass. The colours have warm tones between yellow and orange, softening the sharp design of this shell-sculpture.

The reference to a kaleidoscope is immediately clear: both due to the affinity of images and to the variety of forms and the blending of colours. The latter also recall the colours of the sky and of the city itself. The interplay of reflections continues as these colours, which meet with the light and with the different inclinations of the surfaces, give a new image of the building at every moment of the day. The reference is to the changeable world of the theatre, where the boundary between real and unreal often becomes fainter, almost imperceptible and where nothing is clearly defined. This kaleidoscopic dimension is therefore made up of allusions, references and reflections.

The choice to facet the facade was also dictated by the need to distance the two performance rooms as much as possible for questions of acoustics, while at the same time retaining a united image for the whole building in a single volume.

The result is therefore a space with an extremely articulated interior, with two theatres, dressing rooms, several foyers, a scenic tower and a restaurant: all enclosed in a broken shell that, at the same time, gives an image of unity. 

The nucleus of the interior is the full-height foyer, which, together with the imposing staircase, is contained in the central part of the building, delineating the trajectories and the various connecting routes to the theatres. This building fully reflects the planning philosophy of Ben van Berkel, who is very aware of the relationship between architecture and communication and of the way in which buildings are perceived by people. 

It is architecture, therefore, that goes beyond its functions and objective aspect and defines its identity in relation to the city and to those who observe it and live in it.