The Catalan architecture firm Flores & Prats Architects presents the launch of the documentary series ESCALA 1:5, which explores the design process of the international drama center at the new Sala Beckett in Barcelona. Produced by the independent production company 15-L, the documentary consists of five 10-minute episodes directed by Patricia Tamayo and Albert Badia.
Following its premiere on December 14, 2017, at the Girona Cinema in Barcelona before an enthusiastic crowd of about 200 spectators, the episodes are now available on demand on The Architecture Player channel on Vimeo.
Featuring architects Ricardo Flores and Eva Prats, alongside Sala Beckett director Toni Casares, playwright and former director of the National Theater of Catalonia Sergi Belbel, artists Soraya Smithson and Antoni Miralda, and designer Curro Claret, the series explores the journey behind the building's architectural renovation and its deep connection to the neighborhood.
Ceilings and walls, doors and windows, floors, stairs, and furniture: each episode of the documentary examines an aspect of the patient and rigorous work undertaken by the architects to adapt and transform the existing building into the new Sala Beckett. Flores & Prats have turned the remnants of the old structure into the protagonists of the new intervention, preserving—as Juan José Lahuerta writes in Casabella magazine—"the deepest roots of the living memory of a working-class neighborhood like Poblenou" and ensuring that "waste and debris become an indispensable requirement of their work."
The new Sala Beckett is a cultural venue that opened in November 2016 in Poblenou, in the Sant Martí district, dedicated to theater, experimentation, and training. This space for art and creativity found a home in the former headquarters of the Pau i Justicia cooperative. The design by architects Ricardo Flores and Eva Prats reflects the dense memories deeply rooted in the culture of this historic industrial district, which underwent significant changes for the 1992 Olympic Games and has now become a vibrant hub thanks to the presence of numerous artists and creative talents.
Sala Beckett has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a special mention at the 2017 Spanish Architecture Awards and its inclusion in the "Architecture" category of the Beazley Designs of the Year 2017, alongside other internationally renowned projects such as the Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice designed by OMA and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., by Adjaye Associates.
Author: 15-L. Films
Architects: Flores & Prats Architects
Directors: Patricia Tamayo, Albert Badia
Project: Sala Beckett (2011-2016)
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Collaborators: Sergi Belbel, Toni Casares, Curro Claret, Antoni Miralda, Soraya Smithson
Runtime: 43'
For more information about the documentary and its episodes, visit the official channel website.
This article was written by Javier García Librero. The translation is powered by AI.
Sala Beckett / Flores & Prats
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