Zénith of Nouméa, Nouvelle Calédonie
The new concert hall is located on an extensive area at the entrance to Païta. Its oval shape integrates smoothly with its immediate environment. The elliptical form of the building is picked up by the half-moon shape of the amphitheatre on the gently sloping terrain. The skin is given the appearance of a plaited basket by a pattern on the concrete and the addition of a “sand” or “rust” colour that evokes the coral sand or laterite found in the southern hemisphere. This basketlike effect is reinforced by a series of folds in the wall that add great expressivity to the architecture of the concert hall and play an important role in the stability of the building.
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