In July 1963, a competition was announced for a new theatre on a plot of land located next to the old theatre and across from Heimplatz. The surrounding area of this square, where two of the city’s most important streets cross, had undergone an exhaustive urban plan that reorganised the centre of Zurich, sent traffic underground, made the square pedestrian precinct, set rules for respecting the historical buildings and aimed to eliminate a school and gymnasium that were in the way of the new operation. One of the goals was to transform the square into the cultural hub of the city centre revolving around the four buildings, the Kunsthaus (art museum), a school, the theatre and a shopping centre. To offset the buildings torn down, the tender stipulated that the new buildings could include two gymnasiums, which would help to improve the articulation between the building and its surroundings. Likewise, it requested a covered walkway leading to the box office and lobby. The rest of the programme included administrative offices, a library and rehearsal rooms, dressing rooms for the actors, set workshops and their corresponding installations, and a car park for 500 cars.

Scharoun placed a pedestrian area leading onto the square, creating a space that was clearly outlined by the two wings of the Kunsthaus building, the new shopping centre (which would replace the former Schauspielhaus) and the new theatre. Through a series of twists, the design sought to visually and physically prolong the Heimplatz, relating it to the Kantonsschule and the landscape of the city visible from the lobby. As was common in Scharoun’s other projects, all of these twists and the presence of the stage as the nerve centre of the new building left their mark on the shape of the new theatre.

The stage was based on a square angled at 45º to the alignment of the northern facade, and the seats in the auditorium (1,100 spectators) and side stages were arranged around it. Two tiers of lateral seats were placed on the ground floor perpendicular to the sides of the proscenium, as well as a central tier that followed the north-south axis. On the upper floor, the side tiers of seats are set at a sharper angle and the central tier is broader. The four staircases leading to the lobby were positioned based on this symmetry, and the lobby was reached through the entrance area connected to Heimplatz, which is protected by eaves. Through a parallel entrance, visitors can climb a spiral staircase to reach a second auditorium (176 spectators) located on the second floor. All of these routes from the lobbies, the terraces, bar or restaurant have ample visual contact with the city.

The storage rooms were placed on the north, and the administrative area and dressing rooms on the west, reached via the southwest facade. The northeast wing of the building housed the two gymnasiums of the Kantonsschule, with an entrance on the north. All of service quarters in this area are grouped together, forming a nexus with the main body of the auditorium, acting in turn as an acoustic barrier between the gym and the working zone.

Fernando Alvarez Prozorovich