Awarded winner of the international architecture competition for the Albi Grand Theatre in 2009, the project aims to modernize and strengthen the place of production and dissemination of contemporary creation in the field of performing arts. On a large site area (34 000 m2) at the heart of the city, the Grand Theatre (10 200 m2) comprises 900 seats auditorium, an experimental hall of 250 seats, administration and logistic area, foyers and an independent restaurant. It also includes a cinematographic complex (7 800 m2) with eight movie theatres, high definition projection rooms, and an independent underground parking (12 800 m2) for 380 cars. The urban planning of the area covering the Theater square, Athanor square and Laperouse Garden is part of the program as well. 

At the root of our project, and before any architectural consideration, there is the fundamental desire that the implementation of the Grand Theatre with its significant dimensions does not hurt the urban substance of the city and reveals the existence of a genuine area of culture in the city center of Albi. The compactness and position of the project on the plot organize and materialize an «urban walk» led by the succession of several cultural buildings and public spaces, arranged in series from the cathedral to Rochegude Park. On the outskirts of the historic center, the Grand Theater identifies a contemporary and complementary counterpoint to the city whose history was recently promoted by UNESCO. Seated at the rear of the plot, the Theater liberates large areas for public space at the front, forming a precious urban void which allows the presence of such a piece without strangling the city center urbanity. We also searched some functional, simple, direct and immediate principles, especially for the access, by the public space, of the trucks, on the same level than the stage and the backstage. The very simple and pure geometry of the theatre organizes vertically the different functions in order to free up the plan of the ground floor to offer a generous and continuous public space. We tried to develop a project where architecture dos not oppose the city, to implement a major public building without creating a brutal front with other constructions.