F.X. Šalda Theatre

F.X. Šalda Theatre


LOCATION:
Liberec, Czech Republic

MODEL:
Vene

ARCHITECT:
Mepro Atelier

MORE INFO:
 www.saldovo-divadlo.cz/t (Theatre)
 www.mepro-atelier.cz/ (Architect)

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The Soukenické Theatre in Liberec burned down in 1879 and one year after a public competition for a new theatre was declared in the year 1880 and closed in March 1881. Although the project by the architects Hans Miksch and Heindrich Niedzielský from Vienna was awarded the first prize, the actual project was carried out by Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer: another studio from Vienna that submitted a 1,000 seat project at a lower price (718 seated + 252 standing).

However, the original design of the theatre has been modified several times: total capacity was reduced by 200 right after the start of works in 1881 due to the fire at the Ringstrasse theatre in Vienna that imposed stricter safety regulations. Then all lodges located in the Stalls were removed in 1922, the central corridor of the Stalls was eliminated when new seating was supplied in 1956 and  all balconies were modified in the 1990s with the subsequent loss of seats.

It was in 2020 when the city of Liberec decided to refurbish this Neo-Baroque theatre for the last time: a major renovation lead by the architects Ivan Březina and Martin Březina for this classic U shaped theatre with sloped Stalls, Balcony and two steeply rising Galleries.

Ascénder was selected as the seating supplier while our agent RSS Praha also took care of the replacement of the floor in the Stalls and all the upholstery of the railings and handrails of the theatre using the same velvet of the seats. Thus, we had to design 3 different types of seats based on our Vene model to resemble the old seat existing in the theatre: one prepared for the slope of the Stalls, another with a high backrest for the Balcony and finally another with extra high backrest for the Gallery so it could act as safety barrier. The outer frame was made of solid beech wood and finished with an outer plywood panel to emphasise the classic style of the armchair. All standards were manufactured in solid wood and concealed fixing – same as the arms. Meanwhile both the backrest and seat cushions were made with metal structure inside and cold moulded foam in order to offer the longest possible duration and comfort. For the upholstery we used the 450gr Fenice velvet from Abitex (Italy) and varnished all the wooden pieces in a special wenge colour tone for this project according to the specifications of the architects.

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