With this project, Morson Group in association with the Spanish studio Liquen Estudio wins second place for the international competition for the Municipal Auditorium in the town of Riveira, a town on the Northwest Coast of Galicia, Spain. The budget for this project reaches three million euros subsidized with funds from the European Union.

The main idea of the project was to open the interior of the auditorium to the outside. Generally, the interior of an auditorium is a very glamorous space, with expensive materials, beautiful finishes and good acoustics that require a large volume that creates a very interesting atmosphere. Most auditoriums, theatres or cinemas are closed buildings that are visited from time to time by townspeople or, in some cases, never. We are trying to open this space to a public square, letting the elderly, parents and children take a look inside, enjoy musical rehearsals, theatrical rehearsals,… in this way we are bringing culture closer to the public space. Many children will be playing in the park and will see someone playing the piano, singing, acting, in a concert or in a play. These events will bring cultural richness to the city and create a new concept of the auditorium.

Galicia is a region where it rains a lot, it is quite dark and the importance of light is one of the most important factors in architecture. With this facade design, we try to capture in a controlled way all the natural light during the day and turn the building into an artificial lantern at night.

The vertical aluminium slats protect the interior from direct sunlight but allow light to pass through the facade. The auditorium will function every night and the building will function as a great lantern for this public square.

In terms of programming, the building consists of an Auditorium with 350 seats, a stage adapted for theatrical performances that requires special dimensions. The main lobby entrance acts as a multipurpose space that can be used separately from the auditorium.

The volume tries to break with the idea of a large box and adapt the scale of the buildings in the neighbourhood.

PROJECT DETAILS //
350 seat auditorium / €3m Budget

STATUS //
Competition Entry / 2nd Place

PROJECT LEADERS //
Daniel Castro / Peter Morson