Clay Moulded Te Hoahoa o Roto o te Whare Tapere by Marius Mateika

Clay Moulded Te Hoahoa o Roto o te Whare Tapere by Marius Mateika is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Koura in Hoahoa Roto Whare me te Whakaaturanga Competition Category.

KouraRoto Whare· 2025

Clay Moulded Te Hoahoa o Roto o te Whare Tapere

by Marius Mateika

Client: Mama architects

A' Design Award Koura Winner in Roto Whare Category

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Colors

The Design

About Clay Moulded Te Hoahoa o Roto o te Whare Tapere

Ko Clay Moulded te hoahoa o roto o tētahi whare tapere puoro i Klaipeda, Rithuānia. Ka kapi ngā pakitara me ngā tuanui ki te uku, ā, neke atu i te 30 tana o taua rawa i pania ā-ringa. He haere tonu te tauira o te wāhi matua, ka rere mai i tētahi pito o te wāhi ki tētahi atu. I whakawhanakehia he tukanga pani e whitu ngā wāhanga mō te kaupapa nei, tae atu ki te rehu, te tā tauira, te whakamaroke, te kūoro, te whakakānapa me te tiaki. Ka taea e ngā pakitara me ngā tuanui te tuwhera me te kati hei whakahaere i ngā whakaatanga oro, nō reira ka urutau te wāhi ki ngā konohete, ngā whakaari me ngā hui. E 700 ngā nohoanga o te whare mātakitaki.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Koura

Ko Clay Moulded Te Hoahoa o Roto o te Whare Tapere te toa o te A' Design Award Koura, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa kōeke tuatahi, whakamīharo me te hiranga. Ko ngā toa Koura he mahi tino auaha, he tirohanga mamao, he kanapa ahi, e whakaatu ana i te pūmanawa, te mātauranga me te tohungatanga o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Clay Moulded Te Hoahoa o Roto o te Whare Tapere he hanganga tūnga e whakatū ana i ngā ia, he whakanuia rawa, e kawe mai ana i te uara kāore anō kia kitea. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Koura he kaupapa whakamīharo, whakahonoretia e whakawhānui ana i ngā rohe o te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau. Ka whakaara a Clay Moulded Te Hoahoa o Roto o te Whare Tapere i te hiahia nui, ka whakaoho i te kaingākau, ka whakatenatena i te auaha, ā, ka whakamīharo i a tātou.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: For the interior décor, we chose an archaic material - clay. It is probably the largest interior in the world made of natural clay. The pattern and technology of the hall is unique and continuous throughout the space, created by one artist Mantas Petravičius. All planes are in motion. They open and close (as you can see in photo 3) depending on the nature of the concert and the acoustics required. And that's what makes this space even more unique.
Dimensions & Packaging: The whole theater is 10 000m2 size. The auditorium has seating capacity of 700 people. We used over 30 tonnes of clay for wall decor.
Tags: Klaipėdos muzikinis teatras, Klaipėda state musical theatre, MAMA architects
Production Technology: We used over 30 tonnes of clay for the walls and ceilings of the entire interior. This work took nine months to complete using unique tools created exclusively for this work and was carried out by the hands. The clay coating process is also unique, developed exclusively for this theatre.The process itself consists of 7 stages (clay spraying, patterning, drying, scrubbing, re-spraying, glazing, conservation). It takes about 3 weeks to complete all the steps. The whole process was implemented on the construction site.
Design Challenge: The decor of the main hall is a continuous pattern starting at one end of the hall and ending at the other. Meanwhile, the process required major interruptions and took 9 months. The hardest part was to bring everything together into a coherent picture. The rest of the public spaces (lobbies, passages, staircases) are also made of clay. Here, the pattern is different, but also handmade.
Research: Clay was used for wall and ceiling decor.
The whole process was done by hand in stages:
1.) First, the clay is sprayed, then swiped with special tools made just for this object to form waves.
2.) Waiting for everything to dry. Then the sharp corners are scrubbed.
3.) Repeat the spraying with a thinner layer. After spraying, the clay shall be brushed to distribute the clay evenly and to form a soft surface.
4.) Wait for everything to dry.
5.) Everything is impregnated and preserved.
Inspiration: The city of Klaipėda, where the theatre is located, is by the sea. We were inspired by the sandy coastline of the sea and the shores shaped by the waves. Klaipėda is an old city dominated by red clay brick buildings. For us, the sea and the clay became the basis for the idea. As this is a theatre, clay seemed to us to be the right material to create a dramatic mood.
Project Duration: The project lasted 5 years. The clay decoration alone took 9 months. The theatre is realized in Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Operation Flow: This theatre has transformable walls and ceilings.
They open up. This controls sound reflections. The space adapts to the event. (Depending on whether it's a concert, a play, an meeting event).
Team Members: Architects: Marius Mateika
Image Credits: Photographer: Leonas Garbačauskas