Owner:
City of Lausanne
Date:
2005
This XIII century chapter house was part of the cloister, to the north of the cathedral. The building is a grade 2 listed building. It houses the Petit Théâtre, which is destined for a young public.
The building, sitting perpendicularly across a heavily sloping piece of land below the eastern flank of the cathedral, follows the tilt with its imposing volume. It offers 5 levels.
The specifications set out:
• The complete restoration of the building.
• The re-organization of theatre's concept (flow, foyer, auditorium, rehearsal rooms, workshop, storeroom etc.).
• The extension of the stage and backstage (fly gallery, control booth, wings, stage, trap doors etc.).
• The increase of the auditorium capacity to 120 seats.
• The use of the garden for open-air productions.
• The preparation of the project is executed
alongside a series of investigations conducted in collaboration with the users (management of the Petit Théâtre, management of the Ecole Sociale de Musique, management of the City of Lausanne Festival).
The project is further enriched by surveys including Dave Lüthi's (historian) historical survey, Alain Jouvenat-Müller's (archeologist) archeological survey, the dendrochronological analysis performed by the Laboratoire Romand de Dendrochronologie, and the study of ancient paints by Julian James (curator and restorer).
