Temporary Theatre Stand

Since the Theater Summer of 2000, the main square in The Hague has been boasting a special red costume during the warm months. The local theater group came up with a plan in 1999 to build an open-air stage with a grandstand for approximately 600 visitors in the square during the summer. The easily assembled and disassembled structure was intended to withstand the weather so that performances could take place regardless of the conditions. However, the overall roofing of the square was not completed for financial reasons.
Instead, three architectural firms were invited to a small competition, among them the young team noncon:form, which won the contract with their three-story grandstand. With new conditions (the orientation of the audience changed by 90º, and the century-old tank underneath the square did not allow for any large-area loads, only point loads), the shape and construction of the outdoor stage also changed significantly, contributing to a more open form. (Architect Roland Gnaiger compares this building to a rare orchid, while others have referred to it as a benevolent giant insect, but I join in describing it as an oversized stapler.)
Audiences sit in two levels on top of each other, with the upper, dramatically rising grandstand supported by two glued trusses. The roof of the grandstand also largely protects the stage. The entire structure rests on two foundation blocks embedded in the ground, which are covered during the off-season. The individual construction pieces of the theater grandstand winter in a specially designed shelter. The entrance for the audience consists of a simple construction scaffold standing at the back of the grandstand "with an overloaded front," offering completely new views of the baroque ensemble of the main square, which is integrated into the summer stage.
The grandstand has quickly become a transitional symbol of The Hague and has become part of the city's cultural "repertoire." All participants – citizens, authorities, initiators, designers, and craftsmen – demonstrated a rare example of cultural engagement as supporters who consider the temporary occupation of the square to be a cultural asset. Awards such as the Builder of the Year 2001 (Bauherpreis 2001) followed shortly after.