The Regional Theater of Beauvaisis, designed by atelier AJC architects François Chochon and David Joulin, has officially opened in Beauvais, France, marking a significant addition to the city's cultural landscape. The 6,032-square-meter theater project, completed in 2025 with a construction cost of 13,350,000 euros excluding VAT, represents a new chapter in the historical continuity of post-war reconstruction that has shaped the city of Beauvais.
The theater building was conceived as a "secular nave" that reaches toward the sky, rising dramatically from 10 to 27 meters in height. This impressive vertical scale establishes the structure as a major new participant in the urban dialogue of Beauvais. The architects specifically designed the building to gracefully sustain a conversation with the city's two emblematic monuments: the nearby Saint-Étienne Church and the Saint-Pierre Cathedral standing further in the distance.
Through its unique architectural character, the theater offers a contemporary resonance with these prestigious buildings from past centuries. To achieve this harmonious relationship, the building's height was carefully minimized where possible, softening its integration with the surrounding neighborhood while maximizing the impact of the main performance volume. The design strategy creates an intentional interplay between proximity and distance that situates the site within the continuity of urban enclosures, similar to those found in historic cities like Pisa, Italy, or Orléans, France.
The architectural concept draws inspiration from Roman basilicas, with the "secular nave" reference deliberately evoking the architecture of citizen assemblies gathered together with shared objectives. The construction of the new theater provided an opportunity to complete, in both a gentle and dignified manner, a distinctive and successful urban vision that began during the city's reconstruction period.
Two key design principles guided the project: integration and orientation. The positioning of the new theater allows public space to revolve around it, much like the void of the Saint-Étienne cloister encircles the church itself. This thoughtful placement gives birth to what the architects describe as a new "clos beauvaisien," creating a defined cultural precinct within the urban fabric.
The theater's interior design reflects a departure from traditional theatrical spaces. The foyer features an almost Piranesian architectural quality that welcomes movement and creates a sense of dynamism among visitors. Rather than evoking the bourgeois spirit of conventional theater halls, the interior design stages what the architects describe as "a clearing at dusk." The light-diffusing sculptures in the main hall, resembling wooden bas-reliefs, draw inspiration from the vegetal motifs found in historic Beauvais tapestries.
These sculptural elements give the dark walls the appearance of forest undergrowth or foliage surrounding a singular glade, with a Magrittean blue sky that evokes the twilight of a summer evening. The mental and visual connection between artist and audience is reinforced by the face-to-face positioning of the boxes and the lobby, creating an intimate theatrical experience.
The circulation design continues this philosophy of connection along a fluid pathway inspired by the Italian corso. Movement between ramps, terraces, and areas of intersection flows easily, creating spaces where people can freely engage in conversation. The theater includes an accessible terrace area of 555 square meters, further extending the opportunities for social interaction and community gathering.
The pursuit of a setting conducive to human connection leads to what the architects refer to as a "people's palace" – essentially a community house that serves the broader population of Beauvais. This democratic approach to cultural architecture reflects contemporary thinking about public buildings as spaces for civic engagement rather than exclusive cultural consumption. The project was developed under the patronage of the City of Beauvais, with project management handled by Atelier d'architecture AJC, and photography documentation by Nicolás Borel and Sergio Grazia.
