Theater Populaire - Burkina Faso

UACS | University American College Skopje

Project idea

The idea came to us when we were researching and analyzing buildings and construction in Burkina Faso. Inspired by the villages and their organization, where a common inner courtyard of the surrounding houses appears, which also forms the visual boundary of the village. We used that idea to form the LABO and SHOW area, which combined them into a whole, intertwined content, and in one porous space appears throughout the area. The development of the form of the theater arises from the requirements and the premises needed for a functional theater, which builds and expands the previous stage. The whole form of the theater develops and emerges from the main stage.

Project description

We approached the design by dividing the objects according to their function. Behind the stage appears the WORK arena where the theater with all the travel content and functions is located. Upon entering the theater, we experience the two-story gallery, which houses the buffet and the kitchen on the first floor, through you can exit to the terraces. On the ground floor continuing left or right, we approach the toilets and dressing rooms, which are divided into men's and women's, also a VIP room appears. Through the same hallway you can access the backstage, through we enter to the main stage. The main stage consists of two side stages and a tower equipped with all the elements. On the sides of the theater are the warehouses and workers' rooms, two garage parking lots with five parking spaces each, as well as access to the warehouses on the west side of the theater. The LABO and SHOW are intertwined. The LABO Area surrounds the SHOW Area, thus forming an inner courtyard / square for the needs of the SHOW Area, as well as all the accompanying contents. The main entrance to the auditorium is through the inner courtyard, where the ticket office appears, while the entrance for disabled people is through the parking lot in the western part of the auditorium. The inner yard is planned to be multi-functional and to be adjusted depending on the needs (installation of mounting stage, stalls, etc.). Around the yard on the west side, there are four classrooms, on the east side the other rooms and studios, while on the south side there are toilets and a coffee bar. All the rooms are arranged in such a way as to avoid any destruction of the vegetation, which forms a complex form filled with vegetation and the possibility of secondary entrances from all sides of the site. The Theater has the most festive heights, which forms a staircase and it is easy to recognize the rooms from their height. While in the SHOW / WORK area all rooms are on the ground floor with the same height and they are connected to each other by a corridor surrounding the yard.

Technical information

The buildings are expected to have a concrete structure with brick walls. The roof is expected to consist of two parts, a concrete slab and sheet metal, which will create an air space between them. The use of wooden shackles is provided for windows and doors. For the fencing and covering of the corridor that appears around the yard, the use of wooden branches is foreseen, for visual division and play of light. It is envisaged to use economical and local materials for obtaining authentic space. The building provides entrances and rooms compatible for disabled people, as well as the space for them to have smooth movement.