ARCHITECT
Arquitecture-studio
When referring to the Bahrain National Theatre, we are talking about the major Arabian theatre and the third greatest Arabian opera building. This edifice is considered as one of the Kingdom’s major project, a great achievement after decades of effort.
Its mission is to enrich and develop the local culture, and it is designed for embracing national along with international events. Moreover, it is also used as an urban and cultural centre, as well as meeting point that artists use for their day-to-day creations.
In Arab, “Bahrain” means “two seas”, and this maritime reference gets the Persian-Arabian Gulf character, which extreme horizontality inspired this project’s shape. The architect studio decided to focus the theatre towards the lake, in order to maintain the sights and its majestic profile facing the sea.
Additionally, another symbolic detail that the architects included in their work was the assimilation to a “blazing gold jewel”. With that intention, they made use of our colored sheets in “Gold Pagoda”.
Nowadays, when reflected in the sea under Manama’s evening sky, the theatre seems to transform into a contemplative and surrealist light.
This project was awarded in 2015 with the following prize: USITT Architecture Honor Award.
