BOX OF TRICKS.

Theatres bring life into city centres and Arnedo's new theatre is a memorable contribution to the urban realm.

The theatre is a quintessential urban building, bringing culture and social animation to city centres. The Madrid based practice of Frechilla & Lopez-Pelaez was asked to make a new theatre in Arnedo, a small town in the Rioja region of Spain. The notion of flexibility was considered crucial for such a relatively modest provincial facility, and so the new auditorium can be adapted to house plays, films, musical concerts, dances, exhibitions and even, more prosaically, civic meetings. Built 30 years ago, the town's original Cervantes Theatre had been something of a regional attraction, but was closed in 1992.

Frechilla & Lopez-Pelaez's building occupies the site of the original theatre, a long rectangular corner block facing on to the Avenida de la Constitucion in the town centre. Like most performance buildings, a logical front to back axis determines the parti. At the heart of the plan is a large auditorium. Technically sophisticated and immensely flexible, the hall can accommodate 432 spectators in rows with a further 45 in boxes. A rear tier of retractable seating, together with a mobile floor and proscenium arch enable the raked auditorium to be transformed into a conventional hall. Polished mahogany panelling on the floor and lower part of the walls enhances acoustic performance and creates the impression of being inside a giant musical instrument. Upper levels are rendered in dark blue painted plaster while seats in kaleidoscopic colours generate a festive air.

The diversity of different ways in which the building can be used distinguishes the character of the interior. It is conceived as a kind of boite a miracles, with a network of galleries, bridges, bars, balconies, foyers and dressing rooms carefully slotted into the interstitial spaces around the auditorium. The main foyer nestles under it, with dressing rooms and offices strung along the Calle Antonio Machado on the southern street side to take advantage of natural light. Beneath the auditorium are rooms for rehearsal, study and other cultural activities.

At first floor level a long foyer and balcony protrudes out onto the main street elevation. This visor-like glazed slot forms the principal articulation in external walls composed of prefabricated concrete panels. Smaller vertical window slits are intermittently cut into the concrete flanks, forming an abstract pattern along the Calle Antonio Machado. At lower level, the austerely monolithic effect of the raw concrete is softened by horizontal strips of Brazilian ipe, a dark tropical timber, which form a modern version of a rusticated base. Although the theatre respects the scale of its surroundings, it is a bold and conspicuously contemporary addition to the urban fabric. During performances -- and at other times -- the great glazed slot of the upper foyer radiates light and conviviality, animating the hermetic bulk of the building and bringing life into the town.