Services assignment 1

Analysis of Théodore Gouvy Theatre

Jahnavi J
1RW17AT038
 Background
Architects: Dominique Coulon &
associés
Area: 2850 m²
Year: 2017
Structural Engineering : Batiserf
Mechanical Plumbing Engineer :
Solares Bauen
Electrical Engineer : BET G. Jost
Acoustic : Euro Sound Project
Client : Communauté de communes
Freyming-Merlebach
City : Freyming-Merlebach,France

Brief
Freyming-Merlebach is a town with a substantial industrial past, in a part of Lorraine that developed in the 19th century, driven by the coalmining industry.
Since the closure of the mines in the 1990s, this part of north-eastern France has seen a sharp increase in unemployment, and culture is seen as one possibility
for resolving the accompanying social and economic difficulties in the town, as has been the case in the neighbouring Ruhr region. The site decided on for the
‘Théodore Gouvy’ theatre is on the Place des Alliés, in Freyming-Merlebach. The municipal authorities were keen to give a new boost to this evolving sector,
which is close to the town centre and next to the new town hall and a shopping centre. It is a prominent location, with sufficient parking capacity for the use of
audiences. The theatre has become a symbol of the town’s renewal, and its position is generating a new public space in the town centre. The theatre’s
programming is pluri-disciplinary, covering every area of live performance: classical theatre (including the use of large-scale sets), contemporary theatre,
musical theatre and opera, dance, etc. The ‘Théodore Gouvy’ theatre offers local residents a 700-seat auditorium, with dedicated areas for performers and
logistics.
Site map with Theatre
INTEGRATION OF SPACES IN PLAN
Bar Point from which
daylight is received
Entry
Reception
Ticket
Public booth
toilet Patio steps
Main
staircase

Audience Office
SCHEMATIC
DIAGRAMS

Stage Performers’
foyer
Toilets Dressing
Backstage rooms
Technical
rooms

SCHEMATIC
DIAGRAM AS PER
TIMSAVERS’
STANDARDS
COMPARISION OF SECTIONAL ORGANISATION WITH TIMESAVERS’ STANDARDS
PLAN ANALYSIS
Typical plan
given in
standards

AUDITORIUM SEATING PLAN ANALYSIS

Auditorium capacity-700
Shape of the auditorium- fan
shaped (in reference with time
savers )
Type of flooring- stepped-
width of each step- 1.11m
Width between the backs of 2
seats- 0.80m
No. of rows- 17
Stage dimensions- 22m*14m
Proscenium- 14m*9m
Total auditorium depth-
12.20m
Direction of aisles- slanted and
not curved- has pockets
Aisle width- 1.30m

References from Timesavers standards

PLAN ANALYSIS

Fan shaped
layout
No curved
sides -
geometrical

72

17 rows
12-20 seats in middle
rows and 8 on the
side

Angle of the last seated person

from the edge of the
proscenium – 72 degrees
Max allowed as per standards-
100 degrees Seating –
Aisle width and depth Seat size- 0.55m*0.6m
dimensions are for a 17 row Seat height- 0.80m
auditorium of 30” distance Distance between seat backs- 0.78m( approx.- 30”)
between seat backs and the Seats are slightly raised from the ground or step level
max. depth is around 39’ which
matches with standards
 SECTION ANALYSIS Viewing angles have a 50 cm gap
between the previous extended
viewing angle- minimum as per
standards is 5”
The nearest person has a viewing
angle of 31 degrees and the min
Floor is stepped and the needed is 30 degrees
Typical section given The people in the balcony have a sight
width of each step is
in standards angle of 30 degrees which is as per the
1.11m and the last aisle
width is 1.30m standards
Ceiling height at the stage The false ceiling is at 3.7m from the
is 14.2 m roof and has the light bars and
The last seat in the lower ventilation mechanisms hidden
audi is at 4.07m and the The stage house is 24 metres high and
last seat in the balcony is holds a catwalk and two lighting
at 11.80m 3.68m bridges, with a grid at a height of 17
metres and an upper grid at a height
of 19.50 metres.
14.20m
2.65m 24m 4.75m
17m
20m 31 degree 50cm
4.85m 31 degree 3.45m
30 degree 4.07m
Sight line of nearest
4.75m
11.80m viewer

References from standards

Viewing angles Balcony sight lines

 Sizes of auxillary functional
spaces
Technical / projection room- 3.3m*10m
Intermediate foyer-5.6m*15.6m
Width of staircases vary from 3.3m to 4.45m
Ticket booth- 4.80m*4.80m
Bar width- 6.7m
Public toilets width- 4.80m*12.20m(including both men
and women toilet)
Office- 5.56m*7m
Performers’ foyer- 4.80m*6.7m
Each toilet stall width(inside the backstage area)-
1.11m*3m
Group dressing room( 1no.)-6.7m*9.20m
Double dressing room( 2 no.)-4.80m*6.7m
Individual dressing room- 4.20m*2.6m
Technical room- 2.6m*4.5m
Backstage- 6.7m*18.9m
Entrance width- 4.5m

Typical sizes of
dressing rooms etc.,
as per standards
 Comparison of typical section and rigging diagram with that of chosen theatre

Gridiron
pulleys

Counter
weighted lines
 Lighting systems
1-Lighting bars behind the false ceiling
2-Lighitng on the floor on alternate steps
3-Spotlights facing the audience side
4-Spotlights towards stage*2
ANALYSIS OF 5-Spotlights hidden behind panels from above
6-Ambient lighting near entrance and exits
LIGHTING LAYOUT , 7-Exit sign lights
8-5 spotlights at the back
CIRCULATION SPINE 9-Lights on the underside of the railings
AND MAXIMUM 10-Ambient lighting in stepwells
11-Lighting along the wall in the balcony
DISTANCE OF
VIEWER FROM THE
STAGE
Circulation Spine Maximum distance of viewer from stage
FIRE EXIT LAYOUT OF DIFFERENT FLOORS
FIRE EXIT LAYOUT OF DIFFERENT FLOORS

HVAC system
External insulation provides thermal inertia
and real comfort during summer without air
conditioning.
The building has French High Environmental
Quality (HQE) label..
If integrated the mechanical ventilation could
be hidden in the false ceiling and air flow can
happen as shown
 Stage

Mass of the foyer

Entry

OVERALL AESTHETICS
The theatre sets up an energetic dialogue with the heterogeneous urban landscape, shaping itself to fit the context and logic of the
existing flows. It stands on a base, alongside the new municipal offices; its unusual shape and dimensions give it an steamlined
silhouette, the lines of which ensure visual transition between the various parts of the programme while keeping on the same scale as the
town. The visitor’s interest is caught by the animation of the volumes: in the upper part, the foyer is offset to indicate the entrance, while
in the lower part, transparent elements allow glimpses of the wealth of interior routes and invite the visitor to enter.
The uniformity of the untreated plaster and the softness of the carpeted floor contribute to the feeling of being in some kind of cocoon.
Natural light enhances the various faces and reveals the building’s shape and dimensions.
The route to reach the auditorium is therefore deliberately spectacular and theatrical.
The auditorium is in strong contrast with the nuanced surfaces of the outer envelope. The building presents the town with an immaculate
white facade, while the foyer is in shades of beige. The 700-seat auditorium constitutes a complete break with the foyers. Red, pink and
orange lend density to the space, affirming it as the main feature of the project, with colour sanctuarising the idea of performance.
PROJECT LOCATED IN CONTEXT
ACOUSTICS
For acoustic and thermal reasons, the
auditorium's structure is made of cast-
in-place concrete. Hall and circulations
have a less expensive steel structure
which allowed to respect the initial
budget of the competition.
Untreated plaster in which one can feel
the hand of the craftsmen and beige
carpet on the floors bring pleasing
acoustic and soft, homogeneous
textures that strengthen the
enveloping feeling of a fragmented
cocoon.
The ‘Théodore Gouvy’ theatre offers
exceptional acoustic and stagecraft
properties; the stage house is 24
metres high, with a grid at a height of
17 metres and an upper grid at a
height of 19.50 metres, a catwalk, and
two bridges.
MATERIALS USED
Enveloppe: ETICS polystyrene on concrete
and StoVentec panel (ventilated cladding
on rock wool and steel deck) on metal
frame
Two-layer sealing
Foyers' walls and ceilings: Lutece plaster
Auditorium’s ceilings: Vogl TopTec
Floors: carpeting (hall, upper foyers), resin
(ground-floor)
Forecourt and square: Carrara marble,
stabilised soil
Behind the auditorium, backstage areas
provide access routes and dressing rooms
for performers and technicians. A third
aesthetic language is established for this
more private area, with exposed rough
concrete walls and floors accented by deep
red furnishings and mirrors lit by unshaded
bulbs.
Inside, the offset cast concrete front desk
sits on a polished grey concrete floor. The
walls and undersides of the above volumes
are covered in a uniform beige plaster, with
the angular spaces created by the
intersecting levels left open.
ALTERNATE MATERIALS
PROPOSED
Researchers from Boston University have created a new
kind of material that can block sound while allowing for
airflow. It’s what’s known as a “metamaterial”—a material
that’s been engineered to have properties not found in
nature. The tiny helical pattern of plastic inside the ring-
shaped shell sends incoming soundwaves back to their
origin, thereby blocking sound but not air.
Allowing for airflow is key to some potential uses for the
material. You can’t put a traditional silencing material on a
jet engine or a drone and still allow it to fly. But the new 3D-
printed metamaterial could potentially be used to curtail
noise from aircraft, fans and HVAC systems without
interfering with the airflow.
New innovative materials as such can be integrated in
theatres for better performance
Picture from time of construction
PROJECT PICTURES