Clay Moulded Teaterinredningsdesign by Marius Mateika

Clay Moulded Teaterinredningsdesign by Marius Mateika is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award i Guld in Interiör- och Utställningsdesign Competition Category.

GuldInteriör· 2025

Clay Moulded Teaterinredningsdesign

by Marius Mateika

Client: Mama architects

A' Design Award i Guld Winner in Interiör Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Clay Moulded Teaterinredningsdesign

Clay Moulded är inredningsdesignen av en musikteater i Klaipeda, Litauen. Lera täcker väggarna och taken, och över 30 ton av materialet applicerades för hand. Mönstret i huvudsalen är kontinuerligt och löper från ena änden av rummet till den andra. En beläggningsprocess i sju steg utvecklades för projektet, inklusive sprutning, mönstring, torkning, skrubbning, glasering och konservering. Väggarna och taken kan öppnas och stängas för att kontrollera ljudreflektioner, så att rummet anpassar sig till konserter, teaterföreställningar och möten. Salongen rymmer 700 personer.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award i Guld

Clay Moulded Teaterinredningsdesign är vinnare av A' Design Award i Guld, ett oerhört prestigefyllt erkännande som tilldelas förstklassiga, underbara och enastående designverk. Guldvinnare är utomordentligt innovativa, visionära och glamoröst bländande skapelser som speglar sina formgivares briljans, visdom och skicklighet. Clay Moulded Teaterinredningsdesign förväntas vara en högt prisad, trendsättande och monumental uppfinning som levererar oöverträffat värde. Detta vinnande verk i A' Design Award i Guld är ett spektakulärt, respekterat projekt som i hög grad gagnar och flyttar fram gränserna för konst, vetenskap, design och teknik. Clay Moulded Teaterinredningsdesign skapar intensiva känslor av längtan, väcker passion, uppmuntrar kreativitet och fascinerar oss.

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