The new home of the National Dance Theatre was created through the conversion and extension of an existing hall within the former Ganz factory complex, an industrial ensemble reimagined for cultural use in the 2000s. The project began with the adaptive reuse of an industrial building whose enclosed character, generous internal dimensions and structural qualities provided a suitable framework for accommodating a performance venue.

The design concept developed along two complementary lines. On the one hand, it respected the character of the existing hall, aligning the necessary interventions as closely as possible with the building’s original industrial logic. On the other, it introduced a new volume for the additional functions, whose distinct architectural expression nevertheless forms a harmonious whole with the historic industrial structure.

Flexibility of use was one of the principal considerations in the internal organisation of the building. The main auditorium and foyer were designed to accommodate not only theatre and dance performances, but also events, concerts, dinners and other programmes. The possibility of opening the foyer and auditorium into one another enhances both operational efficiency and the diversity of potential uses.

The new foyer adjoining the hall establishes a connection between the building and the park as a transparent, open and multifunctional communal space. This transitional zone is not merely a circulation or arrival area, but a lively public piazza that makes the National Dance Theatre one of the park’s defining focal points.