Theater aan de Rijn

Theater aan de Rijn

Rijnstraat 42 Arnhem
NEXIT’s idiosyncratic redesign reverses theatre entrance to developments around Bartokpark. The project was published in Architecture in the Netherlands Yearbook 2017-2018.
NEXIT developed a future-proof renovation plan that reversed the building’s orientation. The new entrance is situated towards the Bartokkwartier, a rejuvenated cultural hub in the heart of Arnhem, so that the theatre presents itself in the new townscape
The existing building form was extended by simply extruding the characteristic silhouette. The resulting, relatively shallow new addition houses a new staircase, the elevator and the entrance to the new foyer
The main auditorium was moved to the upper level and the immense attic space with its monumentally trussed roof was opened up and made available for housing various technical installations such as a ‘tension grid’

Year

2016
Status
Completed

About

Theater aan de Rijn is Arnhem’s oldest theatre. At the beginning of the twenty-first century it was taken into service by Generale Oost productions, whose mission is to develop talent among a new generation of dramaturgs and theatre producers. In response to their brief, NEXIT developed a future-proof renovation plan that reversed the building’s orientation. The new entrance is situated towards the Bartokkwartier, a rejuvenated cultural hub in the heart of Arnhem, so that the theatre presents itself in the new townscape. The existing building form was extended by simply extruding the characteristic silhouette. The resulting, relatively shallow new addition houses a new staircase, the elevator and the entrance to the new foyer. The main auditorium was moved to the upper level and the immense attic space with its monumentally trussed roof was opened up and made available for housing various technical installations such as a ‘tension grid’. The Willem Diehlprijs (award for architectural renovation and restauration) was awarded to this project in 2017.

Specifications

Project
Renovation with extension of Theater aan de Rijn / Productiehuis Generale Oost
Team
Addy de Boer, Wilbert de Haan, Arjan Wanders
Client
Theater aan de Rijn / Generale Oost, Arnhem
Contractor
Bouwbedrijf Scheerder, Arnhem
Size
750 m²
Images
Jan de Vries, NEXIT (artist's impressions)

Location