Troyes, FRANCE

Palais des Congrès, Hôtel du département de l’Aube

A multi-purpose conference centre equipped with generously-sized, elegant fixed seating

The question was: how could the Hôtel du Département de l’Aube, in the middle of a historic urban area, be extended without using mimicry, to deliver contemporary architecture? The answer: with the Hôtel du Département de l’Aube Conference Centre, designed by the architects Linazasoro & Sánchez Arquitectura in conjunction with Thienot, Ballan, Zulaica Architectes.

The architects chose to create spaces that confect their own urban area, based on similarities with the buildings in Troyes town centre but with a modern keynote. Without being overly contrived, and using materials such as wood and concrete that can also be seen in the neighbouring buildings, a conference centre was created with excellent facilities, located at the heart of the historic town. The new premises include offices, a restaurant, an 800-person capacity auditorium and a chamber for the regional council.

A multi-purpose auditorium with two mobile systems

The auditorium is a multi-purpose room, fitted with elegant Sensó seating. Due to the mobile seating system, the setup of the auditorium’s seating tiers can be changed and 4 front rows added. Another special system means that 21 seats in the centre of the auditorium can be replaced with a mixing desk – a mobile platform that descends using an automatic system. The 21 seats on the platform measure less between axes than the others to achieve aesthetic uniformity with the rest of the auditorium.

The Salle du Conseil is fitted with Sensó fixed seating with the RT system, which means that the seats rotate 360° and move linearly so that users have freedom of movement and can communicate easily with each other. When vacated, the seats return smoothly to their original position so that the chamber is always ready for use.

Project Name:	Palais des Congrès, Hôtel du département de l’Aube
Year of Development:	2014
Country:	France
Location:	Troyes
Installed Seats:	Sensó 13113, RT system
Capacity:	800
Segments:	Fixed Seating
Venues:	Congress Centres
Architecture Studio:	José Ignacio Linazasoro
Interior designer:	Thienot, Ballan, Zulaica Architectes

Installed Seats

Sensó 13113

Sensó RT 2313

Installed Systems

Case Study

Function and aesthetics in an urban area

The architects chose to create spaces that confect their own urban area, based on similarities with the buildings in Troyes town centre but with a modern keynote. Without being overly contrived, and using materials such as wood and concrete that can also be seen in the neighbouring buildings, a conference centre was created with excellent facilities, located at the heart of the historic town. The new premises include offices, a restaurant, an 800-person capacity auditorium and a chamber for the regional council.

Technical details

Name: Palais des Congrès, Hôtel du département de l’Aube
Location: Troyes, France
Architecture and design: José Ignacio Linazasoro
Design of de auditorium: Thienot, Ballan, Zulaica Architectes
Property: Département de l’Aube
Total Area: 10,000 m² built
Auditorium Capacity: 800 seats
Conference Room Capacity: 67 seats
Product: Sensó 13113, Sensó RT, Microflex 6061

Challenges and Solutions

The idea was to create two multi-purpose spaces, both for the auditorium and the congress hall, with the challenges of acoustics and adaptation to the different forms of rooms that this entailed. It was important for the auditorium to allow the mobility of the first rows, depending on whether or not they needed to be used. Also on the floor we wanted the possibility of adding a mixing table in the middle of the rows with mobile seats.

Product supplied

The auditorium is a multi-purpose room, fitted with elegant Sensó seating. Due to the mobile seating system, the setup of the auditorium’s seating tiers can be changed and 4 front rows added. Another special system means that 21 seats in the centre of the auditorium can be replaced with a mixing desk – a mobile platform that descends using an automatic system. The 21 seats on the platform measure less between axes than the others to achieve aesthetic uniformity with the rest of the auditorium. The Salle du Conseil is fitted with Sensó fixed seating with the RT system, which means that the seats rotate 360° and move linearly so that users have freedom of movement and can communicate easily with each other. When vacated, the seats return smoothly to their original position so that the chamber is always ready for use.