Coalesce Theater explores the superimposition of a geometric expression of “change” onto a specific border condition, employing architectural interpretations of one of René Thom’s seven elementary catastrophes as a conceptual tool to instigate and provoke transformation within the urban context. By engaging with the inevitability of transition, the design aims to redefine spatial experience and narrative.
Comprising two primary structures positioned on opposing sides of the A23 highway and dedicated to the dramatic arts, the intervention aspires to catalyze the revitalization of the 11th district, currently fragmented from the city’s core by the dominance of the overpassing motorway.
On one side, the Performing Arts Center emerges from a structurally resolved moment within the dynamic, three-dimensional control space of the swallowtail catastrophe net. Its gravity-defying form delicately delaminates from the site’s near-flat topography, spiraling upward and culminating in a commanding presence that towers over the adjacent cloverleaf interchange. The twin bifurcation sets of the geometric system manifest as a juxtaposition of programmatic layers: exclusive, lavish indoor performance halls interwoven with easily accessible outdoor platforms for street performances, creating a dynamic clash of formal and informal cultural expressions.
On the opposite side stands the Drama School, a 70-meter mid-rise structure defined by the merging of two swallowtail configurations into a singular, cohesive form. The four resulting singularity points serve as critical branching moments, each giving rise to a tower that houses individual spaces, all organically growing from a shared public arena at the lower levels.
At ground level, the two architectural gestures converge within an expansive public realm, anchored by a rectangular plaza that establishes a stark formal counterpoint to the fluid silhouettes of the buildings above. This contrast becomes particularly pronounced when viewed from the highway, where the dynamic outlines shift and transform in motion. As the plaza becomes inhabited, it reflects the animated energy of the district through an installation of human figure sculptures adorning the cantilever’s underside, further emphasizing the relationship between form, movement, and urban vitality.
