Rouen Concert Hall and Exhibition Complex

Rouen Concert Hall and Exhibition Complex
Rouen, 1998-2001

Initiated as a civic tool capable of fostering both the economic expansion and cultural development of the Rouen district in the 21st century, this concert hall and exhibition center are well-located near the entry to Rouen, less than an hour-and-a-half by car from Paris. As seen from National Route 138, the 8,000-seat concert hall, open public space, and new 70,000-square-foot exhibition hall provide a strong contemporary image, a spark of cultural and economic rebirth placed on 70 acres of a site structured by dramatic lighting and a grid of plantings.

The complex is designed to be seen with equal interest whether heading to or away from Rouen on the highway. The public area where the exhibition hall and concert hall come together can also accommodate shows, exhibitions, and open-air events, and permits lighting installations and temporary structures. This public plaza opens toward the respective entrances of the exhibition hall and the concert hall, allowing the public to be welcomed into the most generous spaces without disrupting their structural logic. 

In the 350-foot-diameter concert hall, the typology of the classical concert hall has been transformed by developing a slight asymmetry in the audience seating to lend spontaneity to the atmosphere of pop music and other media. The asymmetry also provides functional advantages, permitting the theater to be reconfigured into three smaller volumes and accommodating the off-center entry. The structural system of the roof allows both an economical long span and long-distance visibility, due to the three masts that are illuminated on concert evenings. Tension cables hold the middle of the spans, permitting a lighter truss system. Acoustical concerns led to a complete double envelope surrounding the concert hall. The inner skin, made out of concrete stepped seating, is doubled by the exterior, a broken torus formed of insulated corrugated metal. The entry lobby is located in between the two skins.