Valencia Congress Centre

Palacio-de-Congresos-de-Valencia-portada

Valencia Congress Centre


LOCATION:
Valencia, Spain

ARCHITECT:
Norman Foster & Partners

MODEL:
Perseo Writing Tablet / Independent Folding Writing Desk

MORE INFO:
https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/valencia-congress-centre/ (architect)
https://www.palcongres-vlc.com/ (client)

CREDITS:
Palacio de  Congresos de Valencia (Texts & Photos)

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Since last September, Valencia Congress Palace offers new seating in its auditoria. Over 2,000 new seats, about 500 tables and more than 2,000 m2 of carpet modernised the aesthetics of all venues. While this refurbishment improved efficiency and comfort, it still preserved some inherent characteristics of the building – acoustics and open spaces. The project was completed with the installation of lighting to mark corridors under low lighting situations as well as to identify emergency routes.

In Auditorium 1 the elegant white and grey upholstery contrasts with the black of the carpet and the writing tablets concealed inside the standards. These are not only big but also accesible for left-handed and pregnant women. As for Auditorium 2, green is the protagonist colour; when combined with the dark brown colour of floor and walls it reinforces the idea of sustainability. All central pedestal desks are independent for wider clear seat way to all rows.

The Perseo chairs installed in both venues are bigger than usual. Their particular dimensions helped to improve the vision of the stage and to delete areas with reduced visibility. All standards are fully upholstered down to the floor for better stability and specifically manufactured to get adapted to the existing curved distribution for a perspective of clean & aligned corridors.

Both the fabric of the chairs and the new carpet of the floor offer greater absorption and create excellent acoustic conditions. In terms of safety, all fabrics exceed the fire standards and writing tablets of Auditorium 1 are anti-panic: they automatically retract inside the standard when a spectator stands up.

Stitching is double for better appearance and durability of every upholstered item. Additionally, all seat & back spares are the same in both auditoria so stock is reduced and simplified. Arms – undoubtedly the most delicate part of the chair, are made of high quality faux leather that can be easily serviced without removing totally the standard.

This project is a good example of flexibility: chairs were designed for easy replacement. Replacing one unit does not mean disassembling an entire row. Moreover, the front five rows are mounted on special removable plates in sets of 2 and 3 units that allow the stage to be enlarged when needed. Same for the last two rows in Auditorium 1 where the light & sound table is located: you cannot tell the difference because arms are not duplicated to keep the sense of continuity all over the rows.

Lastly, air conditioning outlets are brand new. The old perforated pedestals were removed to create more space and therefore better comfort for attendees.

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