Unesco Ancient Theatre Revitalization 文化設施 by Lyt X Studio

Unesco Ancient Theatre Revitalization 文化設施 by Lyt X Studio is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 銀獎 in 建築、樓宇及結構設計 Competition Category.

銀建築· 2026

Unesco Ancient Theatre Revitalization 文化設施

by Lyt X Studio

Client: LYT-X Studio

A' Design Award 銀獎 Winner in 建築 Category

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The Design

About Unesco Ancient Theatre Revitalization 文化設施

聯合國教科文組織古劇場活化計劃係一個為古代露天劇場而設嘅文化設施方案。設計採用適應性再利用嘅手法，透過最小化同可逆嘅介入方式，保護考古遺產肌理。輕巧嘅張拉膜屋頂由纖巧嘅模組化鋼架承托，能夠過濾日光同調節溫度，同時保持向外望景觀嘅開揚視野。經精心設計嘅屋頂開口同放射式流線通道，有助自然通風同被動式降溫。呢個靈活多用途嘅空間可以舉辦演出、公眾聚會同市民活動。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀獎

Unesco Ancient Theatre Revitalization 文化設施是 A' Design Award 銀獎得主，這是授予頂級、華美而令人印象深刻的設計的極為崇高的認可。銀獎得主是極其卓越、極具創造力的作品，展現出其設計師傑出的專業技能、才華與敏銳。預計Unesco Ancient Theatre Revitalization 文化設施將成為一件出色的典範之作，兼具非凡的專業性與深刻的創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銀獎的設計是一項備受矚目、令人欽佩的發明，造福並拓展藝術、科學、設計和技術的界限。Unesco Ancient Theatre Revitalization 文化設施是一件令人羨慕的創作，它喚起渴望，帶來積極的情感，並激發驚嘆與讚嘆。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: This project revitalizes an ancient open-air performance structure through adaptive reuse, repositioning a protected historic site as contemporary cultural infrastructure with ongoing civic relevance. Rather than introducing a new architectural object, the design adopts a strategy of minimal and reversible intervention that preserves archaeological integrity while respecting the original spatial logic of the site.

A lightweight tensile membrane roof is introduced to filter daylight and provide thermal moderation while maintaining visual openness to the surrounding landscape. Carefully calibrated roof openings and multi-directional circulation enhance natural ventilation and passive cooling, enabling comfortable year-round use without reliance on intensive mechanical systems.

By supporting flexible performance, public gathering, and civic programs, the intervention extends the social and cultural relevance of the site, reinforcing its role as an active component of urban life. Beyond the specific context, the project demonstrates a scalable approach to heritage revitalization, showing how climate-responsive design and lightweight architectural strategies can reactivate historic open-air typologies as sustainable civic infrastructure for contemporary use.
Dimensions & Packaging: The project preserves the original dimensions, geometry, and spatial organization of the historic theatre, ensuring full continuity with the existing archaeological fabric. Lightweight architectural elements are introduced without altering the primary structure, with new roof systems spanning the existing seating area through minimal and carefully controlled contact points. Circulation paths follow the original radial layout, maintaining legibility of the historic form.

Structural components are designed for reversible installation, reducing foundation intervention and accommodating archaeological constraints. Environmental performance is achieved through passive daylighting and natural ventilation strategies, minimizing reliance on mechanical systems while supporting long-term use and conservation requirements.
Tags: Adaptive Reuse, Cultural Infrastructure, Heritage Architecture, Urban Regeneration, Civic Architecture, Socially Engaged Design, Passive Environmental Strategies, Tensile Roof Structure
Production Technology: The project employs lightweight architectural systems to minimize physical impact on the historic site while ensuring long-term durability and performance. A tensile membrane roof is supported by a slender steel structural framework, providing weather protection and controlled daylight penetration with minimal additional load. The system is designed using modular steel components, allowing reversible installation, efficient assembly, and potential future disassembly in response to archaeological requirements.

Environmental performance is achieved through integrated roof apertures and open circulation paths that promote natural ventilation and passive cooling. Durable, low-maintenance materials are selected to support long-term use while respecting the constraints of heritage conservation and minimizing ongoing intervention.
Design Challenge: The central challenge of the project lies in reconciling strict archaeological preservation requirements with contemporary performance, environmental comfort, and public usability. The design is constrained by limited physical intervention, incomplete historical documentation, and the need to preserve the original spatial and structural logic of the historic fabric.

Within these constraints, the project addresses the challenge of integrating environmental performance, circulation, and programmatic flexibility into an open-air heritage structure without introducing permanent or intrusive architectural elements. Developing reversible, lightweight systems that respond to climate conditions while maintaining archaeological integrity required the careful synthesis of historical research, environmental analysis, and architectural restraint.
Research: This project is an architectural design research study examining how ancient open-air performance structures can be revitalized as contemporary cultural infrastructure while maintaining archaeological integrity and spatial legibility. The research frames the theatre not as a static artifact, but as climate-responsive civic infrastructure capable of supporting year-round public use with minimal physical intervention.

Methodologically, the study combines site analysis and historical research with spatial mapping of existing geometries, circulation radii, sightlines, and topographic relationships. Environmental performance is evaluated through microclimatic assessment and passive-strategy testing, focusing on daylight distribution, solar exposure, wind-driven ventilation potential, and thermal comfort under varying seasonal conditions. These findings inform a set of lightweight and reversible architectural strategies intended to minimize contact with protected fabric and reduce dependence on mechanical systems.

The research outcomes demonstrate that calibrated roof apertures, open circulation networks, and tensile membrane systems can provide daylight modulation, climatic protection, and natural ventilation while preserving the open-air character of the historic typology. The resulting design integrates these conclusions into spatial organization, roof configuration, and movement sequencing, expanding programmatic flexibility for performance, gathering, and civic use without compromising conservation requirements. The study offers a transferable framework for climate-responsive heritage revitalization, applicable to similar archaeological sites seeking long-term cultural relevance and environmental sustainability.
Inspiration: The project is informed by a research-based investigation into the enduring spatial logic of ancient open-air theatres and their relationship to climate, landscape, and collective civic life. Drawing from studies in archaeological preservation, environmental performance, and contemporary public use, the design examines how these historic typologies functioned as climate-responsive civic infrastructures rather than static monuments.

Rather than replicating historical forms, the project adopts a methodological approach that seeks to reactivate the cultural relevance of ancient theatres through climate-responsive strategies and minimal architectural intervention. By aligning heritage conservation with sustainable performance and contemporary civic needs, the design positions the historic theatre as a living public framework capable of supporting evolving patterns of use while retaining its spatial and cultural integrity.
Project Duration: The project was developed as a conceptual architectural proposal and completed in October 2025. The site is located at Ilindenska 59, Ohrid 6000, North Macedonia, within a historic ancient theatre precinct of significant cultural and archaeological value.
Operation Flow: The project operates as an open and adaptable public cultural space, guiding visitors through the original radial circulation of the historic seating while maintaining clear spatial orientation. Performers and audiences move fluidly between stage, seating, and surrounding landscape, without rigid barriers or fixed thresholds. The open-air configuration supports flexible use across varying event scales, allowing performances, gatherings, and informal activities to coexist within a single spatial framework.

The lightweight roof provides climatic protection while preserving visual and spatial continuity, ensuring openness rather than enclosure. By encouraging visibility, accessibility, and shared experience, the design fosters social interaction and reinforces the theatre’s role as an active civic space within the urban fabric.
Patents: Copyrights to LYT-X Studio
Team Members: Dingdong Tang
Yangqi Yang
Haisheng Xu
Zehui Li
Image Credits: Copyrights to LYT-X Studio