Teatro Borsoni – ADC

A visually-striking theatre by ARW Associates forms a key element in an ambitious scheme to redevelop the Porta Milano district of Brescia in northern Italy.

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Federico Covre

Designed by ARW Associates, Teatro Borsoni is part of a larger scheme aimed at redeveloping Brescia’s Porta Milano district. The striking 3,500-square-metre building takes the form of a 21×64-metre parallelepiped, standing nine-metres high. There are two performance halls: one accommodating 312 people and featuring three aisles, and the other – dedicated to children’s performances – with 169 seats and a timber floor that extends to the stage area for informal seating. Conceived as a ‘social condenser’, the theatre also includes rooms for different age groups, along with communal areas, a bar-foyer facing the entrance plaza, dressing rooms, and storage spaces.

Set back from the street, the building occupies a generous granite-paved plaza. This is tree-lined on the east side towards an existing residential area, and articulated by ventilation chimneys and the mirrored volume of the plant room to the south. The main entrance, which faces Via Milano, is carved into the parallelepiped with a deep, angled loggia. A continuous glass wall visually connects the foyer to the plaza, reinforcing the theatre’s connection to the city.

Prefabricated concrete walls incorporating chunky pyramidal-shaped projections characterise the east and west elevations, while the north-facing entrance loggia is clad with aluminium panels. The 19-metre-high fly tower is partially clad with polycarbonate panels, which are illuminated at night, providing a beacon-like effect.

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Inside, timber-lined acoustic wall panels, contrast with dark-grey plaster walls and resin floors. Aluminium staircases, railings, and reception counters articulate the communal spaces. An ‘orange path’ leads from the foyer to the children’s room, both marking and introducing this dedicated space.

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