Klaipeda State Music Theatre, Klaipeda | Lithuania

The Klaipėda State Music Theatre designed by MAMA Architects considers itself a complete architectural experience, in which material, space and atmosphere are closely related to each other.

The new construction connected to the historical theatre building was not conceived as a classical cultural building but as a flowing sequence of rooms which enact the transition between the city, architecture and performance. The old and new buildings merge into a coherent whole and introduce the visitors to a spatial dramaturgy which already starts in the foyer. The central design element of the interior is the consistent use of natural clay. A hand-finished surface runs over the walls and ceilings whose rhythmic, wavy structure is reminiscent of the dunes formed by the wind and the movement of the sea - a direct reference to the coastal landscape of Klaipėda. The clay surfaces were produced locally and form a coherent relief which runs through all the public areas and the main hall. In addition to their strong haptic and visual presence, they carry out an essential acoustic function and contribute to the special sound quality of the theatre.

The architecture lives on the area of tension between organic shapes and clear geometric requirements. Curved flights of stairs, open galleries and softly modelled wall surfaces are in contrast to the precisely guided room edges and structured rows of seats. An earthy colour palette of sand, clay and brown hues amplifies the scenic character of the interior. It is supplemented by textile floor coverings and a finely coordinated lighting direction. The surfaces model pinpoint lighting accents and let the moulded structure of the clay walls have different effects depending on the time of day and usage. The theatre has also been designed as a flexible performance space. Movable wall and ceiling elements enable the room volumes and the acoustics to be adapted to the respective event formats - from concerts to musical theatre to smaller performances.

The switches and sockets of the LS 990 range from JUNG in the colours ombre brûlée claire and ombre naturelle moyenne from the colour world of Les Couleurs® Le Corbusier® blend discretely into the earthy material concept and support the calm, consistent design down to the last detail.