Trans architectuur | urbanism and V+ jointly won the commission for the design of a new theater building in 2012 through an international competition.
The Leietheater ‘takes a step aside’ according to the design team. The relocation away from the initially intended location creates space for a large park designed by Marie-Josée van Hee, and places the building on the intersection of important sight lines.
The theater building has a total surface area of 3,500 m2. The program components are organized around a central foyer with a monumental skylight. The foyer can be enlarged by sliding away a partition wall. This also provides a view of the neighboring museum from the heart of the building.
The large hall with its theater tower gives the building a distinctive silhouette. The stacking volumes are clad with a brick pattern of glazed and matt white stones.
Depending on the weather conditions, the Leietheater lights up softly or brightly. A silent hint to the Flemish impressionist painter Emiel Claus, according to Trans and V+ .
With a café on the corner, the building activates the public space in a place where a void in the urban dynamics would otherwise arise after the theater closes.
