Extraordinarily thin glazing with profile systems from Forster

07/28/2023 | Print view

The small town of Carouge near Geneva in French-speaking Switzerland is home to a nationally renowned theatre, which has now been renovated and largely rebuilt. Here details of the glass and steel elements chosen:

When the venue of the "Théâtre de Carouge", built in 1972, no longer met the technical and legal requirements, the city planned a new building. In the end, the building of the theatre and the renovation of a directly adjacent ballroom were realised.

The new building is characterised by mineral-looking clinker facades. On the other hand, the transparent and fine insulating glass elements from Forster Profilsysteme AG provide a visually appealing contrast inside and out.

In 2021, the theatre and the refurbished community hall were completed so that the venue could go into operation at the beginning of 2022.

Stages, festival hall and esplanade

Henceforth, the cultural building ensemble contains five roughly defined units. On the one hand, three new stages have been created, accommodating audiences ranging from 135, 150 to 468 people in the large theatre hall. On the other hand, the neighbouring banqueting hall, as a renovated building, represents a separate group of rooms.

The architects at Pont12 paid particular attention to the seamless integration of the existing building into the structural design. Thus, in the course of the renovation of the adjacent ballroom, the access elements were fully glazed and now contrast as filigree bands with the otherwise solid building envelope.

Glazing that combines aesthetics with functionality

The building's appearance is characterised by the harmonious combination of minerality and transparency. The latter is achieved through the targeted use of glass surfaces - be it on the façade, in the set-offs or in the entrances. For example, the glazing of the reception, which separates the foyer from the public esplanade where performances take place, guarantees a smooth transition between the interior and exterior of the theatre. On the ground floor, the doors and fixed glazing with forster unico ensure perfect thermal insulation of the building. The dark brown thermo-lacquering almost makes the slender steel profiles disappear and gives the whole a discreet, filigree and light aesthetic.

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Automatic hinged doors opening onto the main foyer and acoustically efficient insulating glazing complete the extremely efficient system. The forster unico profile system was also chosen for the entrances to the terraces on the first floor of the new building as well as for all sliding glazing elements in the ballroom.

To achieve perfect separation into fire compartments, the architects and safety officers opted for fire doors and fixed glazing with forster fuego light El30. These fully glazed, column-free elements provide a safe connection between the workshops with a high fire risk and the various rooms and the foyer of the new building. In addition to fire protection, the forster presto E30 system also provides safety on the escape routes.

www.forster-profile.ch