Don’t let a beautiful garden make building a much-needed new Dance Hall of almost 200 square metres an impossibility.
The architects for the famous Princess Grace Academy have found a creative way that the Academy and the lovers of the gardens in front of the Casa Mia villa can have their cake and eat it too.
The solution? Build the Dance Hall under the garden and then have a team of garden design and implementation experts from Monaco’s Department of Urban Development recreate the garden full of trees – quite a feat in itself.
Dancers from the Academy could almost joyfully “dance in the rain” at the news, but their feet will be dry as the garden and terraces will form a sealed roof over their new dance space … and the gardens will still be available to relax in and host events.
185 Square Metre Dance Hall
This creative solution will result in the much wished for additional dance space of 185 square metres with a high performance sound and multi-media system with optimal acoustics. There will be a recessed acoustic ceiling in its centre and a reported false ceiling height of four metres – the Academy couldn’t wish for better. Dancers will be able to see their artistic rehearsals in mirrors on the surrounds – and when needed the mirrors can be screened by motorized curtains. Of course the total built area will need to be greater than the dance space – in all over 250 square metres will be needed to accommodate toilets, changing rooms, technical rooms, storage etcetera.
The room must be bright, but protected from excessive sunlight distracting and bothering the dancers. The architect is reported as creating arches that form a passageway that filters the sunlight taking advantage of natural light which will to pass through.
Finally, ease of access has not been left out of the plan as the new room must be linked with the annex building of the Academy. So it will be able to be entered from the dormitories and by a staircase coming from the main building of The Princess Grace Dance Academy. The Academy’s beautiful facade on avenue de la Costa, on Port Hercule will, of course, remain intact to be admired.
