Blend - Imagining the New Addition to the County Theater | +/- atelier

Our proposal for the new addition’s facade follows the goal to be in relation with the historic theater without imitating it.
The facade is divided into two parts: a glazed base and an upper ceramic screen.
The base, aligned with the existing entrance doors’ height, is the link between the public space and the lobby of the addition. In the middle of this “glazed plinth” a video-wall can meet several functions: showing the movie schedule, informing for local events, act as backdrop during Arts Festival.

The upper concave screen (that calls to mind a projection screen) is a “ceramic skin” made of listels fixed to a white painted metal structure. The street facing side of the listels is white, while the sides are blue and yellow and they are arranged in a way to create a transition from or to the existing County Theater depending of the point of view from the street.

Walking along East State St. from the ice-cream shop to the theater the ceramic facade blends into yellow, viceversa, walking from the theater to the ice-cream shop the facade blends into blue.

The concavity of the “ceramic skin” and the consequent set back of the glazed base allow to increase the sidewalk width: this feature would enhance pedestrian experience and also would create an external “stage” for local artists’ performances.