Location: Artscape , Cape Town, RSA
Program: Multi-purpose Hall
Client: Architectural Competition
Status: Finalist
Area: 3000sqm

The programme for this invited competition was to design a multipurpose hall specifically for circus performances. Our concept transforms what was once an introverted activity — watching a show in a windowless theatre box — into an extroverted event experienced from both inside and outside, giving performances the opportunity to spill into the surrounding urban space.

The bold façade of oversailing white fins announces the Zip Zap Performance Hall as a civic landmark on the city square. At street level, large glazed openings framed in warm timber blur the boundary between interior and plaza — inviting the city in, and letting the spectacle of circus life out.

The Proscenium Arch & Theatre Curtain

Located in a cultural precinct full of concert halls and theatres, the design of the new performance hall distinguishes itself by having a big proscenium arch on the façade to create an outdoor stage, surrounded by a giant wavy theatre curtain that wraps the entire building.  

The translucent ‘theatre curtain’, made of steel mesh panels that are curved in an irregular pleated pattern, is designed to evoke a sense of curiosity and anticipation.