Italian architecture practice Botticini+Facchinelli ARW has designed a theater wrapped by distinctive façades that feature 3D-punctuated concrete blocks in Brescia, Italy. 

The project was completed in collaboration with Brescia Infrastrutture, a property management company in Brescia, Italy. 

Named Teatro Borsoni, the 3,500-square-metre building is a key component of the larger "Oltre la strada" rehabilitation project for Via Milano. 

The project aims to change the area's industrial identity and create a theater that can act as a landmark in a neighborhood that is being greatly revitalized and enhanced by a number of improvement projects.

On its eastern side, next to the existing residential sector, the architecture provides a tree-lined plaza and a granite-paved "civic churchyard" set back from the street line. 

The mirrored bulk of the plant room to the south and ventilation chimneys set the plaza apart. In order to increase the area's worth, redefining the public space around it is just as important as the architecture.

The theater serves as a cultural hub and was designed as "civic architecture." Large-scale rusticated concrete and an aluminum loggia set into the north facade facing Via Milano, where the main entrance is situated, characterize the building's parallelepiped volume. 

The complete cyclopean wall is constructed using a prefabricated system of massive, 4 meter by 1.25 meter rusticated concrete blocks. The theater's openness to the city is emphasized by a continuous glass wall that visually connects the foyer to the plaza.

At stage level, the volume rises into the fly tower, which has lengthy sides covered in translucent polycarbonate panels that, when lit from within, shine at night. 

With rooms for all age groups, common areas, a bar-foyer that looks out onto the new plaza, and a big auditorium with a stage connected to dressing rooms and storage areas, the theater serves as an inclusive urban place.

The acoustic wall panels inside are made of wood, which contrasts with the halls' dark grey plaster and resin flooring. 

The unique character of communal spaces is derived from the use of light gray, wood, and aluminum, the latter of which is utilized for reception counters, railings, and staircases. This designated space is marked by a "orange path" that runs from the entrance to the children's room.

The first floor of the theater provides access to both of its performance spaces. Three aisles—two lateral and one central—that are connected to emergency exits make up the main hall, which can accommodate 312 spectators. 

Its ceiling design and LED-lit hardwood walls provide the best possible sound amplification. Voice resonance is improved by the raised wooden platform with a hollow area underneath. 

There are 169 seats available in the children's hall, however. The hall's wooden floor flows smoothly to the stage, creating a casual seating area. Its simpler, more intimate design is reflected in the absence of a fly tower. 

According to the studio, this theater is a piece of architecture both inside and beyond the city, a driving force behind the revitalization of a region with a long industrial past and a symbol of social and cultural rejuvenation for both the present and the future.

Ground floor plan

First floor plan

Longitudinal section

Elevations

Facade detail

Door cladding detail

Project facts

Project name: Teatro Borsoni

Architecture: Botticini+Facchinelli ARW

In collaboration with: Brescia infrastrutture srl Resp. Eng. Alberto Merlini

Location: Via Milano 83, Brescia - Italy

Client: Municipality of Brescia

Built: 2024

Total intervention area: approx. 7,000m2

Built area: approx. 3,500m2

Sole Project Manager: Arch. Gianpiero Ribolla

Assistance: Arch. Gianluigi Barucco, Arch. Laura Treccani

Project Leader: Arch. Paola Daleffe (Brescia infrastrutture srl)

Project Team: Arch. Stefano Bordoli, Arch. Paolo Livi, Eng. Massimo Torquati (Brescia infrastrutture srl)

Structural Consultants: Eng. Alessandro Gasparini

Consultants for ITF and Electrical Design: Eng. Andrea Andreis, Fabio Bolzoni

Acoustic Consultant: Arch. Eleonora Strada

Artistic Direction of the works: Arch. Camillo Botticini (Botticini+Facchinelli ARW)

General Direction of the works: GAP PROGETTI SRL Eng. Silvia Foini (until may 2022)

Technical Supervision of Plant Systems: Eng. Fabio Zenocchini (Sigma Project Engineering S.R.L.)

Construction company: Sabino Dicataldo

Design of the Stage machine – Stagecraft: Eng. Giorgio Molinari

Final Acoustic Design: Eng. Emanuele Morlini

Stage machine (rigging grid, flyng bar, lan of A.V.L. networks power connection): Molpass srl

Responsible for Mobile Furniture Design: Arch. Alice Dodesini (DODiCI Architettura)

Graphics: Glifo soc. coop.

All images © Federico Covre. 

All drawings © Botticini+Facchinelli ARW.

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ARW Associates concrete cultural building Teatro Borsoni theater