Location: Mont-roig del Camp is a small town of around 8,000 in Tarragona, Catalonia, set on gently rolling plains near the Mediterranean coast. Its natural soils and local earth materials make it well-suited for construction with heavy masonry or rammed-earth techniques.
Plan: The building is organized around a central auditorium, with its form shaped by the programme. Public areas—entrances, circulation, and gathering spaces—connect directly with the surrounding plaza. Private spaces, including changing rooms, backstage, and technical areas, are set back within the thicker parts of the plan.
Solid rammed-earth walls define the auditorium and backstage areas, providing acoustic separation and a sense of enclosure. Lighter, columned edges bring daylight into public zones and offer visual permeability, softening the transition between interior and exterior. This balance of solid and open structures reflects the mix of public and private functions, concentrating activity and movement at the perimeter while keeping core spaces controlled and enclosed.
Materiality: The design was principally conceived around the use of locally sourced earth, which is naturally rich in a red colour, to be rammed in layers to form walls. This was paired with natural wood finishes and unified polished concrete flooring to highlight the earth walls and pillars.
