Essay: The Show before the Show

The philharmonic concert hall in the Parc de la Villette, Paris, by Jean Nouvel; it can be crossed at various levels even by people from the street. A ramp leads down from the very top over the entire roof.
The success and acceptance of stage structures no longer depend on acoustics alone nor on the quality of a grand auditorium. A decisive factor is a smooth transition, without barriers, to the city or the landscape outside, so that people are attracted quite naturally to a building - beneath it, on top of it or, of course, inside it.
The philharmonic concert hall in the Parc de la Villette, Paris, by Jean Nouvel; it can be crossed at various levels even by people from the street. A ramp leads down from the very top over the entire roof.