Experimental

Located in the heart of Luzern, the new theatre establishes both a physical and symbolic relationship with three key elements of the town’s urban identity: the wooden bridge, the church, and the historic centre. By lifting the entire volume of the building, the project not only frees up the ground but carefully weaves together these three points — becoming a cultural and spatial hinge between times, rhythms, and uses.

On the side of the wooden bridge, the gesture is one of continuity: the pedestrian route crossing the river flows uninterrupted beneath the theatre, maintaining the fluidity and public character of the space. Visitors do not simply enter the building — they pass through it. The theatre becomes a natural extension of the crossing.

Facing the church, the theatre does not confront but frames it. The elevated volume allows for an unobstructed view, reinforcing the church’s role as a landmark of collective memory. Rather than competing, the new building celebrates and amplifies the presence of the old, in a relationship of respect and resonance.

In relation to the city centre, the theatre acts as a gateway and a place of gathering. The square beneath the building functions as an urban atrium — an informal stage, a shelter from the elements, a space for transit or pause. The theatre is thus less an isolated object than an open infrastructure that intensifies the relationships between people and place.

By suspending itself, the architecture steps back from the ground — giving the city back to its inhabitants. This is a theatre that does not close off or separate — but connects, reveals, and extends.