Grand Manège, philharmonic hall and conservatoire — Namur
An 800-seat philharmonic hall and a conservatoire in a decommissioned building.
On the corner of rue Rogier and rue Pépin, the site was occupied by the Grand Manège, which had become a performance venue without any particular fit-out, and by the former barracks squatted by the conservatoire. In the heart of Namur, the restructuring, rehabilitation and extension of this downgraded building have brought together interactive cultural and educational activities.
The project unfolds in two stages. The first phase provides a performance hall, a hospitality area, a conservatoire and the offices of the associations Cav&Ma — Centre for Vocal Art and Early Music — and À Cœur Joie. The second phase provides a 2,000 m² Cité des Métiers, public rental and private housing and a 160-space underground car park.
The brief comprises a philharmonic-type hall of 800 seats spread across 500 in the stalls and 300 on the balcony, the conservatoire, a small 150-seat multipurpose hall and all the reception and front-of-house spaces of a quality cultural venue. The conservatoire and its small hall are housed in a new building whose urban façade faces rue Rogier; all circulation runs through a large entrance hall that articulates and distributes the two functions.
