Customized seats by the architect Álvaro Siza in the cozy auditorium of Llinars del Vallès
An architectural jewel of the award-winning architect Álvaro Siza that is more than a performing arts center: it is at the same time a theater, a conference room, an auditorium and a meeting space for the municipality of Llinars del Vallès. Equipped with our Sensó seat, it provides comfort and elegance to this cultural space.
The municipality of Llinars del Vallès (Barcelona) contains a small jewel in the form of its theatre. Located in the middle of a rural setting but close to the town centre, stands a cultural facility that, although from the outside appears to be just a humble red bricked building, has been designed by the Pritzker prizewinner Álvaro Siza Vieira. Simple in its structure, it is the ideal size, made from ideal materials and in the most appropriate way. It is pure Siza, but at the same time apt for its purpose and setting, without exaggerations or excesses, it is just right for the chosen location.
The Auditorium Theatre was designed respecting the mature forest and the stream that crosses the estate of Can Marquès where it is found. It is a humble yet complete form of architecture; that plays wisely with geometry, light and space, characteristic of all of Siza Vieira’s works. The monument permeates its natural surroundings in a respectful manner, allowing light to flood the spaces in a controlled way due to the glazed openings located on the ground floor.
Its geometric forms respond to functional purpose required by the Town Hall. It is composed of two sections to accommodate the staged activities and the centre’s administrative units, respectively. The building is linked, both horizontally and vertically, from the centre of its main activity: the staged area. The auditorium has a clean, geometric design. The only glimmer of organic structure can be seen in the curved, acting as a over curtain which frames the hall.
For a room with these features, the architect required a seat that shared the same pure geometric lines, but could also be adapted to curved lines. The choice of the Sensó seat was indisputable, although it did have to be customized to become the product conceived by the architect. The entire auditorium design was carried out after the seat had been chosen, therefore Figueras was able to perform a prior study and plan the ideal hall. The hall has been created with made-to-measure seats, so that the space and seats are not only similar in shape and colour, but rather they are a perfect match. In designing the auditorium they haven’t wasted a sing millimetre, this has resulted in an unusual harmony that can be felt in the atmosphere.
The seats chosen by Siza Vieira offer a generous amount of space, given that the size of the armrest has been reduced allowing the occupant more chair space. They have a slim, geometric design and offer a curved back support for greater comfort for the occupant. The curvature of the backrest reminds us of the curvature of the hall’s ceiling. The dedication to detail by the team of architects was captured even in the special design of the numbering of each of the seats, which, moreover, was produced in brass at the express wish of the architect. In short: the detail, the harmony and the purity of Siza.
