Ever since we announced the results of the competition for the "New Bío Bío Regional Theater," promoted by the Regional Government and the Architecture Area of the National Council of Culture and the Arts, we had been eagerly awaiting the completion of the winning proposal.
The challenge accepted by the 28 Chilean and international architecture firms that participated in this open call was no small feat. The projects had to accommodate a structure of approximately 9,000 square meters, creating a space for cultural performances of regional scope that could also withstand the climatic and geographical conditions of the city of Concepción.
It took five years and five months to see the completed proposal, which was inspired by the ideas of Tadeusz Kantor:
True to this concept, the design by Smiljan Radic, Eduardo Castillo, and Gabriela Medrano became the "possible skeleton of a wrapped theater." A space for the performing arts, it elevates the backstage and transforms the spaces leading up to the performance into sensory and aesthetic experiences. From an urban perspective, the theater seems perched on the banks of the Bío Bío River, completing the 27F Memorial. The dialogue between light and stone offers the city a new urban experience that revitalizes the forgotten riverbank.
Through a saturated spatial grid, visitors can visually explore the building's interior from the foyer, which is illuminated at its double-height center by Chilean visual artist Iván Navarro's work, "Es Telar." Within this same space, the artistic legacy of Eduardo Castillo is present through a series of robust wooden pieces resting peacefully among the pillars. Dialoguing with these pieces, a volume clad in coconut fiber is suspended above, concealing the Chamber Hall. A double central staircase leads visitors to the second floor to access the main hall, where the density of the grid dissipates to provide "the air necessary for the performance."
The building is located slightly rotated in relation to the course of the river, at a sufficient distance to allow the contemplation of the 27F Memorial from the pathways inside the theater, while creating a new urban space that the architects have named the "Arena." This hardscape plaza is organized around a grid of point lights projected from the building's pillars onto the ground, presenting itself as a public pedestrian space without any specific designated use:
The building is positioned slightly rotated relative to the river, far enough to allow views of the 27F Memorial from the circulation paths inside the theater, while simultaneously generating a new urban setting that the architects call the "Arena." This plaza is organized by a grid of spotlighting aligned with the projection of the building's columns on the ground, serving as a public pedestrian area with no defined use:
From the "Arena," as dusk falls, the reinforced concrete structure becomes visible from inside the building through its envelope. The glowing lights of the theater signal that a cultural event is about to take place inside, making this one of the most alluring elements of the design. The PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) membrane facade contributes to the building's thermal performance while also acting as a key element in the experience the architects wished to convey:
Video Production: Manuel Albornoz in collaboration with Mundo Medios
Photographs: María González
Text: Pola Mora
This article was written by Pola Mora. The translation is powered by AI.
