
Théâtre des Champs Elysées.
LOCATION:
Paris, France
MODEL:
Bespoke Champs Elysées
ARCHITECT:
Atelier Monchecourt & Co.
MORE INFO:
www.ateliermc.fr (Architect)
www.theatrechampselysees.fr (Client)
The Champs-Elysées Theater was built in 1913 with a mixed art deco and classic style, due to the architect Auguste Perret and the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle. It is the headquarters of the National Orchestra of France and one of the temples of classical music in Paris.
In a two-phase work, our partner Saviex Industries carried out last year the renovation of the exclusive seats of the Stalls. Meanwhile, this year Ascénder manufactured the chairs for the Balconies & Boxes according to the original design of the chairs located in the Stalls. The solid timber finishes and the customised velour produced by Blafo were therefore maintained all over the venue.
While most of the chairs had solid timber frames, plywood backrests were also produced to create chairs with smaller envelope for those areas with limited space. The most important challenge of this project was to ensure that the acoustic absorption coefficients of the new seats would be the same as those of the old ones. Thus, we carried out several acoustic tests, both of the original chairs and of the new prototypes until we got the exact combination of fabric, foam and wooden structure that matched the acoustic requirements. Another very particular item was the manufacture of the arms, seats and backs since they were finished with close nailing all over their perimeter: every single pin was individually nailed & aligned to get the perfect touch. Additionally, Ascender showed their commitment to customisation when all numbers were first engraved on leather, then embedded into the timber frame of the back… something never done before in our company. Lastly, we completed the number of different variations with different inclinations for the blind boxes and usher seats for the corridors.