Chapelle Corneille

In search of a small additional venue, in 2013 the Rouen Opera House annexed the Chapelle Corneille to create a new auditorium. However, the site remains a chapel that can be visited, with a more baroque style and some of the most beautiful altarpieces in the region.
The project therefore consisted of making the venue acoustically viable for musicians and listeners while preserving the visibility of the architecture and its interior decor. After various restorations, the contemporary project reconciles heritage preservation with the constraints of a performance venue. From the town, visitors walk through the basement to emerge in one of the side chapels, then in the nave, where they discover the unique space and the sphere. Designed as a baroque anamorphosis reflecting the chapel on its mirrored surface, the sphere also serves as a heated chandelier and acoustic reflector when it rotates to align with the position of the musicians.A series of other discreet but effective devices—curtains hidden in furniture, reflectors attached to chairs—adapt the acoustics of the space to the music being played. The seating arrangements—specifically designed for the venue—accompany the movement of the stage to the center or the crossing of the transept to offer spectators seated on three or four sides a new musical venue in an exceptional heritage site