Grand Manège, Namur
As part of its Espace Rogier urban development, the City of Namur has undertaken a design-build project to transform the historic Grand Manège site into a quality cultural space. The project includes the construction of an 800-seat concert hall, home to the Centre d'Art Vocal et de Musique Ancienne and a new conservatory with a 150-seat multi-purpose hall.
Information Sheet
New Build Renovation/Transformation Grand Manège grandmanege.be
Location Namur, Belgium.
Project Cost 19 million €.
Time Frame Competition: 2016. Design: 2017-2018. Construction: 2018-2021. Opening: September 2021.
Owner City of Namur, Wallonie-Brussels Federation & Region.
Architect(s) Cabinet d'architectes pHD, Belgium cabinet-phd.be • AASA, Belgium aasa.be
Design & Build Contractor(s) Wust, Belgium www.wust.be • Cobelba, Belgium.
Theatre Planner(s) Scénarchie, Michel Marty, France www.scenarchie.com
Seat Count 800-seat concert hall, user in residence CAV&MA (Centre d'Art Vocal et de Musique Ancienne), new music, drama and dance conservatory with 150-seat multi-purpose hall, lecture and practise rooms and ensemble rehearsal rooms. Total gross floor area: 6 000 m².
Uses New home for CAV&MA and the Conservatoire Balthasar-Florence. The 800-seat concert hall is optimised for vocal, early and baroque music, but can also be used to stage symphony orchestras and amplified events. The 150-seat multi-purpose hall will be mainly used as the performance space of the music, drama and dance departments of the conservatory.
Services Comprehensive acoustic consulting services for the entire project from competition to commissioning, including room acoustics, building acoustics along with noise and vibrations control.
Team Thomas Wulfrank, Juan Óscar García Gómez, Vincent Berrier, Kahle Acoustics.
The 800-seat concert hall as seen from stage with absorbing acoustic curtains down. Photo © Lino Bennardo
The 800-seat concert hall as seen from the balcony choir. Photo © Lino Bennardo
Lateral view from the balcony of the 800-seat concert hall with absorbing acoustic curtains and acoustic reflectors. Photo © Lino Bennardo
Rehearsal with Leonardo García Alarcón a few hours before the opening concert. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
Acoustic rotating panels on stage for acoustic diffusion according to the orchestra's needs. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
The 150-seat hall as seen from stage. Photo © Lino Bennardo
The 150-seat hall as seen from the last row. Photo © Lino Bennardo
Historic arcade leading to the central reception hall of the Grand Manège, where everything gravitates. Photo © Lino Bennardo
Integration of the new volume of the concert hall within the historic building Grand Manège. Photo © Kahle Acoustics