Spira is twisted as a spiral to catch the attention of the eye as well as the body; transparent, to turn every side into a front; compact, to be efficient and sparse; meandering, to create expectation.
The performing arts centre Spira in the city of Jönköping is a regional scene for music and theater in the southern part of Sweden. It is a culturally vivid part of the country, but the performing arts have not had a permanent stage so far. Our proposal is a result of a winning competition from 2005 and the house was inaugurated on 11.11.11.
The building is tall, expressive and controls the surroundings of the man-made peninsula in lake Munksjön. The communicative approach is enhanced by the semitransparent façade, on which current programs can be displayed. The bright and curved walls give the building an ephemeral character that relates to the arts that are being performed inside.
The building is designed for rather small audiences, but in many different spaces. The concert hall seats 910, and a smaller theater is designed for 420 people. There is also a multistage, a café stage and a restaurant. All stages are on the same level, providing maximal accessibility for wheelchairs as well as transportations backstage. The characters vary from a deep green serenity of the largest saloon, to the acoustical flexible structure of the multistage.
The narrow but long foyer is a fluid space, all covered in pine, the local wood. It follows the curved line of the building and provides shifting views over the lake outside. The space ends with the café stage. In wintertime the warmth of the interior will make the building glow. In summertime, the foyer opens up to the terraces outside.
The cool, austere glass façades are bound together by warm bands of orange. As the sun sets over the lake, the colored glass heightens the festive atmosphere of the foyer. The warm light mingles with the din of people coming up from the coat check. The doors of expectation beckon in bright colors. In the darkness beyond them, life is once again about to rise to a dramatic crescendo.
