The Netherlands Dance Theatre

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The Netherlands Dance Theatre
by Rem Koolhaas
The Hague, Netherlands
Laura Stafford Howard Kelly November 2,
2007 ARCH 41111 Prof. Imdat As
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OUR INITIAL REACTION

• feels like a professional theatre inside the
  house
• functional elements of the room are transformed
  into beautiful sculpture
• the artistry of the room ennobles the art being
  created on stage

• massing reflects interior spaces, acts as
  another sculptural element
• odd, disjointed façade
• the parts are somewhat disjointed, without
  forming a coherent whole

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URBAN CONTEXT

• conceived as part of a gentrification project to
  revitalize a depressed area of the city
• part of a larger complex of public buildings,
  including municipal centers and a hotel
• though a very modern building, maintains a
  well-defined piazza
• piazza space gives nod to historic church across
  the street

• later buildings in piazza mimic the theatres
  horizontality (right, City Hall by Richard Meier)

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION

• designed specifically for dance company, but can
  be used for operas and other performances
• attached to a concert hall, with lobby between

• lobby acts jointly with concert hall, and
  extends partially under the seating area of the
  dance theatre

• features second floor balcony as well as a third
  floor floating skybar that hangs from the roof
• shapes are derived from catenary curves, and
  walls/ceilings are self-supporting
• theatre surrounded by other spaces, including
  small dance studios, housing for the dancers, and
  other support spaces.

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DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

• stage area is symmetrically conceived, but is
  surrounded by asymmetric ancillary spaces
• the most vibrant areas are the casual ones
• access hallways and lobby both use the poche
  under the upper seating (see left)

• lobby is as large as seating area enough space
  for all to congregate (important for multiple
  showings)

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DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

• undulating ceiling mimics the dance and motion
  of the performances
• textures help disperse sound and reduce
  reverberation
• curved wood acoustic panels help distribute
  sound to the audience
• exposed structure, catwalks, and lighting shows
  patrons how the theatre actually works

• material richness is concentrated in theatre
  rest of building is much more austere

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DIMENSIONS AND SIZE

• 1001 seat total capacity
• seating area is 32 in plan
• 13-14 m (42-46) ceiling
• stage backstage gt seating area
• features wings that are each half the size of
  the stage itself (like our design)

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34 m
23 m
18 m
15 m
25 m

• undulating roof is a remnant of an earlier
  design which featured a tent-like outdoor
  structure

14 m
10.5 m
13.5
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ARCHITECTS VIEWS CRITICAL REACTIONS

• Koolhaas maintains that the elevations (of the
  Dance Theatre) are inconspicuous by design, in
  response to the theatre's cramped site and
  commercial context. (Corus Construction)
• one of the first widely acclaimed projects for
  OMA, Koolhaass firm
• won the 2000 international Pritzker Prize for
  demonstrating talent, vision, and commitment
  which has produced consistent and significant
  contributions to humanity and the built
  environment (Hyatt Foundation)

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USE OF LIGHT COLOUR

• Central lobby has a flaming red wall, which
  contrasts the pale pink and green walls outside
  the concert hall, defining the space as a
  continuation of the theatre.
• Dynamic curves at various heights are projected
  into the tall, narrow foyer, further dramatizing
  the space
• Multicoloured columns support the niches tilted
  boomerang ceiling, making use of the poche space
  beneath the upper seating

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USE OF LIGHT COLOUR

• On the second floor, a marble encased stairwell
  divides daylit open space in canteen and lounge
  for the resident dance company.
• The floor is cut out to provide views down to
  the rehearsal rooms entrance, and is bridged by
  a steel stair leading to a sauna and swimming
  pool.

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MATERIALITY

• The dance theatre uses steel not only as a
  decorative finish, but also as a material that
  can clothe the form and interior spaces created
  by the designer
• The building works as a series of rectangular
  spaces within the grid frame of the structure
  occasionally interrupted by curved forms.
• The curving corrugated steel roof appears to
  float overhead, and is only supported by a single
  central truss.

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INTERPRETATIONS

• The randomness of the forms and spaces can be
  interpreted as an unselfconscious architecture.
• Though it appears at first as merely sculptural
  and chaotic, Koolhaas conceived the building as
  sort of a primitive hut theatre it is
  basically a big box with seats, a tall stage, and
  the necessary ancillary spaces

• The house is the most central function/feature
  of the building, and so all elegance is
  purposefully concentrated there.
• Other spaces are minimalist.

• Even the construction is minimalist the light
  steel that makes the large spaces possible is
  also used to decorate, and even to make the space
  feel spontaneous and lively.

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OUR EVALUATION

• The building is purely functional and literal,
  with austere aesthetics applied as needed.
• The exterior is rather disjointed, but again
  reflects the literal functions of the spaces
  inside.

• The plan is highly functional and compact.
• The entire theatre area is contained within a
  simple rectangle, and the poche space is very
  well utilized as functional space.
• The frivolity of the curving spaces is
  contained within a very rational, square grid
  plan that maintains economy and simplicity.

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COMPARISON TO OUR PROGRAM

• Both have confined urban sites with existing
  buildings around.
• The house in both projects is carved from a
  variety of ancillary spaces.
• This theatre has 4x the amount of seats, and is
  also 4x the recommended design size in the
  program (8,464 here vs. 2,000-2,500 in the
  program)

• features dance studios that are roughly the size
  of the open part of the stage, like the rehearsal
  room recommended in our program.
• stage designed a lot like ours, with wings that
  equal stage size and a large backstage area.

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THE END
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WORKS CITED

• www.greatbuildings.com
• OMA Rem Koolhaas Architecture 1970-1990, by
  Jacques Lucan, Princeton Arch. Press New York,
  1991.
• The Prtizker Architecture Prize, 2000 Rem
  Koolhaas, sponsored by The Hyatt Foundation,
  2000.
• Corus in Construction, http//www.corusconstructi
  on.com/en/reference/teaching_resources/architectur
  al_studio_reference/architecture/relationship_betw
  een_steel_architectural_form/, accessed 1
  November 2007.
• Acoustic Information for Auditoriums Theaters,
  http//www.acoustics.com/aud_theater.asp,
  accessed 1 November 2007.