The site is in the middle of the historical center of Soignies, a stone throw away from the imposing XII centure collegiate. The town of Soignies is 50 km from Brussels, and constitutes the center of a urban community of + 25.000 inhabitants. Its main economic activity is blue stone extraction in nearby quarries. Many folkloric traditions accompany the trade of blue stone, amongst them the carnival and other street festivals, which have managed to preserve a strong local flavour.

The proposal goes beyond its initial ambition, which is the construction of a performing arts hall, and it measures up to integrate in this dense and typified context. The project presents, in its morphology, the two sides of a cultural economy: institutional culture (the hall) and popular culture (external walks and a stepped slope that doubles up as outdoors seating). By doing this, the building avoids the logic of the closed box and proposes a very urban interpretation of the concept of th Show, while making it possible for the hall to beam beyond its walls. The building can be largely appropriated by the public, even when it is closed.

The Senne, a river that was covered in the beginning of the XXth century, draws the outer limit of the site. Its invisible presence, as well as the massive church above the site, invited a topographical exploration on the project with these two elements as anchors.
The facade of the building is in rough stone crust, and the shape evokes the emergence of a rock ying these elements first. The project is equipped with rough stone crusts, and its forms evoke a strange emerged rock of the ground, as evidence of the town's original bond with its stone. The sculptural logic is prolonged inside, with a public foyer and a sturdily equipped and designed performing arts hall.

More information: Article published in A10 Magazine, n.9 May-June 2006