in sion, a town in the south of switzerland, savioz fabrizzi architectes has created a contemporary music venue by inserting a series of discarded shipping containers within an existing building. the venue’s focal point is a 300-seat concert hall, while dressing rooms, rehearsal space, a ticket office and a public bar make up the remainder of the program. designed to form a cultural hub at the heart of the community, the two-storey scheme received funding from the region’s bea young artists foundation.
in developing the project, the architects sought to take advantage of shipping containers’ beneficial characteristics. standardized dimensions allow the units to be readily stacked, while the inherent resistance of the large steel boxes protects against vandalism and other forms of incidental damage. the modular nature of the design ensures that the scheme can easily be added to, or subtracted from, allowing a large degree of flexibility throughout the process.
savioz fabrizzi architectes were awarded the project after winning a competition in 2011 and the complex was opened in 2015.
from designboom