5 Squares Theater

Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Tucumán

Project idea

Interpret the culture of the local tribes and adapt them to the needs and context of our time, achieving an innovative project that responds to current requirements without forgetting the roots that shaped this valuable culture.

Project description

The 5 Squares Theater is located in the city of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, Africa.
Its design renews and enhances the identity of the sector in which it is located, recycling and revaluing existing spaces.
The project incorporates three volumes in the form of strips, which house the activities of the CDC (Centre de Développement Chorégraphique). Its pleasant and flexible spaces adapt to the different needs that may arise over time.
The strips are located on the ground in three axes, linking with the pre-existing volumes and the immediate environment, forming 5 squares. They are the Main Square and those of the Book's, the Craftman's, the Dance's and the Memory's ones. The squares are public and also fulfill the function of overflow and connection between the volumes that make up the complex, thus achieving a greater integration of CDC activities, the environment and its entire population.

Technical information

The project is materialized through a simple and fast construction system, with inexpensive materials and easy to get or make "in situ". These are: brick, local wood and reinforced concrete. With these elements a unity is generated with the pre-existing spaces of the theater.
The facades of the new volumes are resolved with brick masonry, through various bonding types, showing the versatility and diversity of textures and sensations that the material offers. Conceptually these patterns represent the motifs painted by the tribes in their homes.
The carpentry is made up of a system of folding doors made of a steel structure that frames the exposed brick door. This allows the facades to vary according to the activities carried out at the CDC. While it is working, during the day, you will see permeable spaces, with large openings. On the other hand, when it is closed, you can see pure prismatic volumes of homogeneous material.
The roof design is economical and energetically efficient. It is gable roof, guaranteeing a fast evacuation of the rains on summer days, simply quickly. The roof is made of sheet metal and its structure is made of wood, as is the clapboard ceiling. At the same time, it was equipped with a series of thermal insulation layers, thereby counteracting the high temperatures of the site.
In the interior, among the dividing elements, there are mobile and fixed panels that allow the modification of the spaces according to the different needs present or that may arise in the future.
The stage, on the other hand, is solved with wood, for the structure, and bamboo for the cover and the sides, sifting the sunlight that falls on it. Its modular structure forms a spatial pattern that facilitates the placement of lights and scenery in various positions. In this way you get a stage box that plays with light and shadow and an intelligent design that offers flexibility of use.
Thanks to its strip configuration, the whole set offers the possibility of being built in stages. This great benefit allows to take advantage of the buildings without the need for all the spaces to be finished, guaranteeing the constant operation of the 5 Square Theater, even during the execution of the works.

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