The Panguipulli Theatre, located in its namesake town in Chile's Región de los Ríos, was conceived as an important space for local communities and education – crafted to support learning and the arts in this small town in the country's south. The architects behind it, Nicolas Norero and Tomas Villalon, worked on designing a space that not only meets the requirements to enhance local programmes around music, painting, dance and literature; but also is an architecturally interesting and engaging structure that elevates its site and functions as a whole.
The idea for the theatre (which was a public commission) kicked off from a need to expand and replace an existing venue with something more tailor made and design-led.
Panguipulli Theatre: watch the film
'For years they were housed in a beautiful wooden house, that was a former Catholic mission. But the space where the cultural project was founded reached its capacity and sees the need to create a new place, a space envisioned as a grand new room, a theater with the character of an open school for the children and the community,' the architects write.
Set on the edge of a lake, on a site rich in natural beauty, the theatre is a neat, orthogonal volume, placed in a way that creates a small plaza in front of it, defining the approach from the city centre. The main timber volume is placed on a minimalist concrete plinth.
Inside it, the auditorium is designed as a box within a box, to optimise acoustic and thermal needs. It is a generous 250-seat theatre, arranged flexibly so that it can be used with ease for both performances of different kinds, and presentations and lectures. The structure also contains the foyer, a cafeteria, and an exhibition hall – as well as dressing rooms and services.
It is a project that has come alive since its opening earlier in the year, the architects proudly stating it has already reached over 2,500 children coming from 25 schools – eight urban and 25 rural.
'Theater of the Arts of Panguipulli offers a way to bring culture to an extensive and dispersed territory like Chile, involving the community, children, and young people from rural and remote areas where culture and art are lacking in their education,' they write.
-
Nela is London's new stage for open-fire gastronomyA beloved Amsterdam import brings live-fire elegance to The Whiteley’s grand revival
-
How we host: with Our Place founder, Shiza ShahidWelcome, come on in, and take a seat at Wallpaper*s new series 'How we host' where we dissect the art of entertaining. Here, we speak to Our Place founder Shiza Shahid on what makes the perfect dinner party, from sourcing food in to perfecting the guest list, and yes, Michelle Obama is invited
-
Matteo Thun carves a masterful thermal retreat into the Canadian RockiesBasin Glacial Waters, a project two decades in the making, finally surfaces at Lake Louise, blurring the boundaries between architecture and terrain
-
A wooden lakeside cabin in southern Chile offers a new twist on the traditional barnClad in local Coigüe timber, this lakeside cabin by Tomás Tironi and Lezaeta Lavanchy on Lake Ranco, titled Casa Puerto Nuevo, adds contemporary flair to the local vernacular
-
This new lakeside house in Chile is a tour de force of contemporary timber constructionCazú Zegers’ lakeside house Casa Pyr is inspired by the geometry of fire and flames, and nestles into its rocky site
-
Tour a Chilean pavilion perched on the coast: a sanctuary for sleep and star-gazingAlgarrobo-based architecture studio Whale! has designed a Chilean pavilion for rest and relaxation, overlooking a nature reserve on the Pacific coast
-
House in the Trees offers a bird's eye view of the Chilean forestHouse in the Trees by Max Núñez and Stefano Rolla is an angular Chilean cabin in woods, touching the ground lightly
-
This Chilean beach house comprises a series of pavilions set beneath a wooden roofWYND Architects has completed a Chilean beach house – a multigenerational family retreat, raised up above a site overlooking the Pacific Ocean
-
A modern barnhouse makes a faceted form on an exposed site in Southern ChileEstudio Diagonal’s barnhouse project, Ridge House, is a stripped back private home that uses everyday materials and simple geometry to maximise interior space
-
Industrialised building system prototype proposes solution for urgent housing needsWe examine an industrialized building system prototype proposal by Chilean architecture practices Ignacio Rojas Hirigoyen Architects and Cristian Dominguez Fernandez
-
Elemental House is an architectural grand prize in Mexican charity raffleElemental House in Mexico, designed by Elemental-Alejandro Aravena, is to be offered as first prize in a raffle organised by charity Sorteos Tec
