A helium “full moon” to shelter a music and dance festival

Ao, the god of clouds of Polynesian mythology, will be playing with light and shade in the sky over Saint-Prex! The name has also been chosen for the architectural project being developed in EPFL’s Atelier de la conception de l’espace (ALICE) or “Space Conception Workshop” at the invitation of the St Prex Classics cultural festival.

Under the leadership of Dieter Dietz, the director of ALICE, and with the cooperation of several students of this department, the architects Sibylle Kössler and Sara Formery have designed a space for concerts and dance that can be fully disassembled, and has been designed to fit neatly into the Place de l’Horloge facing the clock tower, the entrance to the medieval town of Saint-Prex. “Ao” has been presented to the press last Tuesday, shortly before the opening concert of the 6th series of the St Prex Classics, which lasts until August 28th. “We have created a space that is designed to highlight the medieval town, and which transforms the Grand Rue into a pleasant and animated meeting place, while providing both the performers and the audience at the festival with a comfortable concert venue of high quality” summarizes Dieter Dietz. “We also wanted the project to have a high visibility, without adversely affecting the essence of the old buildings”, he adds.

A floating dome that protects you from the rain
The base of the installation, made entirely of wood, takes its inspiration from the famous theatre of Epidaurus that existed in Greece in the 4th or 3rd century BC, in particular the curve of the tiered seating, opposite the clock tower. The seating can normally hold up to 700 people; this is reduced to 500 when the modular stage is enlarged to accommodate large orchestras or choreography.

Although the medieval façade, including the clock tower, remains one of the main features of the new structure, the most spectacular element is actually to be found above it. A vast hemisphere of helium – 25 meters in diameter and visible for miles around – will float above the “arena” and the village. Its white polyamide envelope can be illuminated from the inside or be used as a screen to display projected images. In case of bad weather, this balloon can be lowered to completely cover the stage and seating area, thus forming a dome. A transparent membrane, tightened around its circumference would then transform the square into a closed concert hall, without however being separated from the old walls.

“This structure will allow us to continue to use the Old Town, while offering an improved level of comfort to the performers and to larger audiences. The cooperation with EPFL has brought an architectural dimension which measures up to the artistic quality of the St Prex Classics, and which truly highlights the location’s historic heritage,” enthuses Hazeline van Swaay, founder of the festival.

“Ao” can be assembled and dismantled in less than a week. Only part of the equipment, including the balloon, will remain at Saint-Prex. The structures forming the base of the tiered seating and the technical ring will be rented each year to specialized companies.

Jean-Claude Mermoud, head of the Cantonal Department for the Economy, has called the project “a remarkable technological innovation, whose spectacular and symbolic aspect will not fail to attract attention”. Francis-Luc Perret, Vice-President of EPFL and a citizen of Saint-Prex, emphasized “the commitment of our School, which has the good fortune, with its professors and students, to develop research and teaching activities in a region enjoying a very rich and stimulating cultural environment. It can thus demonstrate in multiple ways that technology – while offering concrete and useful solutions, can also be imbued with an artistic, aesthetic and expressive dimension”.

The new structure should be ready for the 2012 festival. However, the promoters need to raise the necessary funds – some 2 million Swiss francs – in a relatively short time. The fund-raising has just begun.