Teatro Biobío, Modern theater in Concepción, Chile.
Teatro Biobío is a theatre in Concepción, Chile, wrapped in a translucent white membrane that gives it the appearance of a glowing shell. It houses several performance spaces, including a large main hall used for concerts, plays, and dance productions.
The theatre opened in 2018 as part of an effort to strengthen the cultural infrastructure of the Biobío Region, which had lacked a dedicated performance building for years. Its opening gave the city of Concepción a permanent home for the arts.
Since 2022 the theatre has shared hosting duties for the Festival Rock en Conce with the Parque Bicentenario, bringing large open-air concerts to the riverbank. The architects described their concept as a "packaged theatre", a wrapping for fiction that envelops culture. The building's reception has been divided: locals have called it "feo" and "mamotreto", while Smiljan Radic replied that he does not set out to make pretty things.
Events take place in the main hall and in smaller rooms depending on the production. It is worth checking the programme in advance, as performance times vary widely across the different spaces.
The facade's PTFE membrane covers more than 8,000 square metres, making it the largest textile facade in South America. It was manufactured abroad by Castro Rojas and fixed to its supporting structure with aluminium extrusions and stainless-steel bolts. The architects described the concept as a "packaged theatre", a wrapping for fiction that envelops culture.
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