These are the 16th and 17th Zenits, and most likely the last. This series of inexpensive and spacious multi-functional venues for various types of performances and social events appeared in January 1984, when the first Zenith was built in Paris by the bureau Chaix & Morel et associés. The same architects are also responsible for the last, 18th, the project of which is frozen: this is the only hall of this type outside Europe, on the French-owned Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
In the meantime, the Zenit construction program has focused on new buildings in Amiens and Saint-Etienne, which are worthy examples of this series of high architectural quality.
Fuchsas Hall of Amiens almost completely repeats the project of his own “Zenith”, which opened in early 2008 in Strasbourg: only if the latter became the largest of all, then the first one is the smallest: the maximum number of spectators in its hall is 6,000. Buildings differ in color: Strasbourg - orange, Amiens - red. But everything else is the same: a translucent membrane is stretched over a steel structure that hides the concrete "core" of the auditorium inside. The foyer space is located between the membrane and the concrete walls. The plan has an ellipse configuration. According to Fuksas, its construction is an autonomous, sculptural form. This emphasizes the surroundings: like most other Zenits, this one is located on the outskirts of the city, in the middle of the asphalt plain of the parking lot.
A completely different solution was developed by Norman Foster for Saint-Etienne. Its concert hall is erected on a high concrete "podium", and the square in front of it is blocked by a busy highway passing by. Various utility rooms are hidden in this database. A cantilever roof protrudes far ahead, which plays an important functional role: it allows you to capture fresh air and direct it inside the building, providing natural ventilation and cooling of the auditorium. Behind the fully glazed façade, there is a spacious foyer with access to all parts of the building. The hall is designed for 7,200 people; not only concerts and performances can be held there, but also sporting events, in particular, tennis and figure skating competitions.
The building's energetic, aerodynamic profile, readable from afar, should become the new symbol of the city, still better known as the center of industry rather than culture, Foster said. Also, the new "Zenith" will be a catalyst for the development of the surrounding area - the former industrial zone on the northern outskirts of Saint-Etienne.
