Article source: Andrea Maffei Architects

The intervention area is located in a residential neighborhood in the center of Intra (Verbania), consisting of residential buildings and a plaza parking space. The project’ objective was to create a building to transform the existing context around. The form has been designed both to solve the functional needs of the theatre and to design an absolute form, which could become a new point of reference for citizens and a distinguishing element of the context around it. In the contemporary city, the buildings always led to similar mixed contexts in which we find no evidence that can address the tensions and movements of the city in a specific way. The purpose of a public building as the new theater of Verbania was this: to become a coordinating element of the city and transform the context.

Image Courtesy © Andrea Maffei Architects

• Architects: Andrea Maffei Architects
• Project: Verbania Opera Hall
• Location: Verbania (VB)
• Program: opera theatre and concert hall
• Client: City of Verbania
• Competition: 2007
• Project: Arata Isozaki + Andrea Maffei
• Design team: Hidenari Arai, Takeshi Miura, Kenji Yatsu, Rawad Choubassi, Simone Utzeri, Filippo Biagi, Atsuko Suzuki, Andrea Maffei Architects / Stefano Tozzi, M+T & Partners
• Structure: ing. Mutsuro Sasaki, SAPS Tokyo
• Mep plants: Hilson Moran Italia, Milano