Functional solutions
The new black box hall is located at the northern end of the site by Kronvalda Boulevard, with a foyer on the Simtgades aleja side providing two entrances for visitors—from both the park and Simtgades aleja. The entrance to the existing Small Hall is preserved. Additional visitor amenities include a café/bar on the second floor and a restaurant with a rooftop terrace on the third floor, accessible by stairs or lift. Both the café and restaurant are positioned on the Simtgades aleja side, offering views of the park and canal. The design connects the new and existing annexes at the third-floor level, enabling Small Hall visitors to easily access the restaurant and bar. Depending on budget, the proposal allows for multiple solutions:
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A basic option: retain the Small Hall in its current boundaries, adding only the new-to-existing annex connection.
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A broader option: expand the Small Hall, remove interior columns, and increase ceiling height.
This connection is essential for efficient use of space, as it allows existing staircases to serve evacuation needs for both the old and new annexes. The central part of the new building and the Kronvalda Boulevard side, between the existing annex and the black box, houses theatre workshops and dressing rooms/make-up rooms for actors. This zone also accommodates the driveway and ramp for large trucks, as well as the ramp to the underground parking. The second floor is largely occupied by the double-height spaces of the ground-floor hall and workshops. Full floor areas exist only for the visitor café (canal side) and actor dressing/make-up rooms (Kronvalda side), including a smoking room, lounge, kitchen, and staff facilities. The lounge also serves as the connection space between the old and new annexes, acting as the entry point to all new facilities. The third floor houses a central kitchen and auxiliary rooms, conveniently positioned to serve the restaurant (canal side), the café (second floor, connected by stairs and dumbwaiters), and the canteen/café for actors and staff, which opens onto a rooftop terrace on the Kronvalda side. This terrace is also easily accessible from the rehearsal halls and lounges. Kitchen supplies and staff access can be arranged in two ways:
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via the basement or the main truck ramp, using the central lift, or
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through the existing annex’s staircases and lift, separating kitchen logistics from the rest of the theatre.
The fourth floor houses theatre administration and service apartments, accessible by both existing staircases, lifts from the basement to the third floor, and internal stairs from lower levels. The basement includes the cloakroom and restrooms for visitors, 46 parking spaces for staff, and technical facilities. From the parking, routes connect to the stairwell near the current actors’ entrance and also provide access to the visitor cloakroom, linking directly to the main hall on the first floor. An additional emergency staircase connects the basement to the auxiliary rooms of the new black box hall. The proposal foresees using the existing annex’s evacuation staircases for the new annex as well, by extending them one floor higher. This approach significantly saves both space and costs, as only one additional staircase is needed in the new annex. Due to the limited footprint and the extensive first-floor program, the freight lift is also retained in the existing annex but upgraded to serve the new black box. The design ensures freight lift connections to the new building at both the first and third-floor levels. In addition, a new lift in the central zone will connect all levels of the new annex.
