La Llotja de Lleida
Encyclopedia
La Llotja de Lleida is a theatre and congresa centre in Lleida
(Catalonia
, Spain). It opened its doors in January 2010, and is owned by the city council. Giuseppe Verdi
's Il Trovatore
premiered there on 21 January. Its two congress halls, called A and B, have capacity for 400 and 200 people, while the main auditory, Sala Ricard Viñes, has 1000 seats. It's located in Pardinyes
, next to the river Segre
and the Lleida Pirineus railway station
, on the site of a former municipal market.
The animation film festival Animac moved to La Llotja de Lleida in February 2010, on the occasion of its 14th edition.
On 23 March 2010, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia of Spain officially opened La Llotja de Lleida.
, from Delft
. Mecanoo’s design interprets the landscape of Lleida as the exciting scenery before which the building has been placed, somewhat further from the river. The mise-en-scène is elaborated on three levels of scale. Regarded from the large scale of the region, the building forms a link between the river and the mountain. Viewed from the urban scale, La Llotja and the river form a balanced composition. At street level the cantilevers of La Llotja de Lleida provide protection from sun and rain.
The large stone edifice seems to have sprouted from the Spanish earth. The building’s horizontal form provides a large garden on the roof, while under the cantilevers begins a square for events, with the stairs of the adjacent building serving as a tribune. Parking has been created underground with the loading area for trucks on the ground level, the same level where the theatre stage, dressing rooms and restaurant kitchen are found.
Materials ensure distinction and orientation in the interior. The exterior is of stone. Inside there are mainly white, plastered walls and either wooden or marble floors. The entrance hall and the multi-functional hall have a marble floor, while the foyer has a floor of mixed hardwood. The theatre has the atmosphere of an orchard with walls of black wood in which trees of light have been cut out. Thousands of leaves on the ceiling light the hall. The colour palette of fruit is a theme that recurs in small details throughout the building. After all, the region of Lleida is famous for its fruit production. The roof is colourful: pergolas support a range of creepers and climbers like roses, jasmine and ivy. The garden with its mirador is not only pleasant but also useful since the roof cover keeps the building cool in the summer, provides a beautiful view for people living in the neighbourhood and serves an extra place for conference guests to sojourn.
The original plan of Lleida's city council was hiring renowned architect Rafael Moneo
, who finally declined the offer, and a total of 7 different architect studios presented their proposals in 2004: Mecanoo, Foreign Office Architects
headed by Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Josep Llinás, Elías Torres & Martínez Lapeña, Carlos Ferrater, Ramon Artigues, Ramon Sanabria, Ramon Maria Puig and Juan Navarro Baldeweg
.
. Skeptics have criticised the high public cost of the building, even opposing to its construction and proposing instead the refurbishment of the city's former main theatre, Teatre Principal.
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
(Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain). It opened its doors in January 2010, and is owned by the city council. Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Il Trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
premiered there on 21 January. Its two congress halls, called A and B, have capacity for 400 and 200 people, while the main auditory, Sala Ricard Viñes, has 1000 seats. It's located in Pardinyes
Pardinyes
Pardinyes is a neighbourhood in Lleida . It's a 1920s to mid-20th century urban development grown out of new architecture built on former agricultural land between Balàfia and the River Segre...
, next to the river Segre
Segre River
The Segre is a river tributary to the Ebro with a basin comprising territories across three states: France, Andorra and Spain....
and the Lleida Pirineus railway station
Lleida Pirineus railway station
Lleida Pirineus railway station is a regional railway station in the city of Lleida, Catalonia, between the neighbourhoods of Pardinyes and Rambla de Ferran. The first train services in Lleida date of 1860, but the station wasn't was built until 1927, and it didn't adopt its current official name...
, on the site of a former municipal market.
The animation film festival Animac moved to La Llotja de Lleida in February 2010, on the occasion of its 14th edition.
On 23 March 2010, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia of Spain officially opened La Llotja de Lleida.
Architecture
The building was designed by the Dutch architecture firm MecanooMecanoo
Mecanoo is a firm of architects based in Delft, The Netherlands. The Delft based office of Mecanoo was officially founded in 1984 by Francine Houben, Henk Döll, Roelf Steenhuis, Erick van Egeraat and Chris de Weijer. The firm is directed by its original founder architect Prof. ir. Francine M.J....
, from Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
. Mecanoo’s design interprets the landscape of Lleida as the exciting scenery before which the building has been placed, somewhat further from the river. The mise-en-scène is elaborated on three levels of scale. Regarded from the large scale of the region, the building forms a link between the river and the mountain. Viewed from the urban scale, La Llotja and the river form a balanced composition. At street level the cantilevers of La Llotja de Lleida provide protection from sun and rain.
The large stone edifice seems to have sprouted from the Spanish earth. The building’s horizontal form provides a large garden on the roof, while under the cantilevers begins a square for events, with the stairs of the adjacent building serving as a tribune. Parking has been created underground with the loading area for trucks on the ground level, the same level where the theatre stage, dressing rooms and restaurant kitchen are found.
Materials ensure distinction and orientation in the interior. The exterior is of stone. Inside there are mainly white, plastered walls and either wooden or marble floors. The entrance hall and the multi-functional hall have a marble floor, while the foyer has a floor of mixed hardwood. The theatre has the atmosphere of an orchard with walls of black wood in which trees of light have been cut out. Thousands of leaves on the ceiling light the hall. The colour palette of fruit is a theme that recurs in small details throughout the building. After all, the region of Lleida is famous for its fruit production. The roof is colourful: pergolas support a range of creepers and climbers like roses, jasmine and ivy. The garden with its mirador is not only pleasant but also useful since the roof cover keeps the building cool in the summer, provides a beautiful view for people living in the neighbourhood and serves an extra place for conference guests to sojourn.
The original plan of Lleida's city council was hiring renowned architect Rafael Moneo
Rafael Moneo
José Rafael Moneo Vallés is a Spanish architect. He was born in Tudela, Spain, and won the Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1996. He studied at the ETSAM, Technical University of Madrid from which he received his architectural degree in 1961. From 1958 to 1961 he worked in the office in Madrid...
, who finally declined the offer, and a total of 7 different architect studios presented their proposals in 2004: Mecanoo, Foreign Office Architects
Foreign Office Architects
Foreign Office Architects, FOA, was an internationally acclaimed architectural design studio headed by former husband and wife team Farshid Moussavi and Alejandro Zaera-Polo. The London based studio, which was established in 1993, specialised in architectural design, master planning and interior...
headed by Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Josep Llinás, Elías Torres & Martínez Lapeña, Carlos Ferrater, Ramon Artigues, Ramon Sanabria, Ramon Maria Puig and Juan Navarro Baldeweg
Juan Navarro Baldeweg
Juan Navarro Baldeweg is a Spanish architect and professor at the Superior Technical School of Architecture of Madrid ....
.
Stated aims and criticism
Its construction was first proposed by the city council in order to increase the number of conventions and fairs in Lleida and to promote local private economy, as part of the ongoing renewal of many public services and infrastructure. Lleida was in 2009 the second Catalan city in terms of congresses, conventions and fairs after BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. Skeptics have criticised the high public cost of the building, even opposing to its construction and proposing instead the refurbishment of the city's former main theatre, Teatre Principal.
See also
- Auditori Enric GranadosAuditori Enric GranadosAuditori Enric Granados is the main concert hall in Lleida also hosting the city's music conservatory. It contains a symphonic hall with 803 seats and a chamber music hall with a capacity of 245. This music institution is named after the composer Enric Granados, who was born in Lleida in 1867...
- CaixaForum LleidaCaixaForum LleidaCaixaForum Lleida is a museum, cinema and art centre in Lleida . It's a private entity set up and funded by La Caixa, a savings bank based in Barcelona and part of the CaixaForum network of cultural centres...
- Teatre Principal
- Culture in Lleida