Roland Baldi Architects designs the interiors of the Clubhouse in Falzes

Community centres, or “Clubhouses”, as they are called in South Tyrol, play an essential role in the social fabric of small towns and can have a profound impact on the well-being and vitality of the local community. This is the case in Falzes, a small town with a population of almost 3000 situated on a sunny plateau at an altitude of 1022 metres in the Pusteria Valley, to the west of the mouth of Tures Valley in Alto Adige, Italy. 
The town’s home for associations has been renovated and expanded with interior design by the studio of Roland Baldi, giving the community a flexible space that begins with the magic of a curtain rising to unveil a whole world of music and theatre; when it closes again, it conceals the secrets of what goes on behind the scenes. The architects asked themselves what would happen if the concept of the curtain were extended to an entire structure, making all the spaces flexible and surprising. 



Baldi and his studio thus applied the philosophy of multifunctionality not only to the main stage but to accessory spaces such as the foyer, refreshment area and coat check. Here, a complicated series of curtains can be opened and closed to suit the requirements of the activity under way. These curtains do not rigidly separate spaces, but conceal and reveal different functions, making every part of the facility into a stage in its own right.
The heart of the project is of course a big hall with seating for audiences of up to 280 in the stands and gallery, offering a stage for a vast range of events, from theatrical performances to concerts, parties and events on a variety of scales. The hall is designed to be a „black box“ featuring cutting-edge fixtures and specially designed lighting, while dedicating special attention to acoustics. The wooden panels along the walls are not only there for their beauty, contrasting wonderfully with the black soundproofing and stage, but angled to modulate sound, ensuring excellent acoustics to maximise enjoyment of the shows. 



Roland Baldi and his team opted for a flat floor, without steps, to ensure unlimited flexibility and allow the hall to be used not only for theatrical performances but for community events and meetings of local associations, in a truly inclusive facility.
A mobile partition allows the space to be expanded toward the long, spacious foyer, with its bar and big windows offering beautiful views over the town, to further increase its capacity. The area outside the hall also incorporates a coat check and ticket office, as well as providing access to the meeting rooms on the basement level.



As we have noted, Roland Baldi Architects’ interior design revolves around the metaphor of the curtain, a solution of great visual impact permitting a show of moveable velvety curtains, including the big curtain on the stage, the curtains darkening the windows, and the curtains over the bar and coat check. This means the different areas can be easily separated, in a highly theatrical and sophisticated way, to maximise the practicality of the facility on any occasion.
The entire project in the Home for Associations in Falzes pays tribute to the art of theatre and to versatility, demonstrating that a theatre can be much more than a place to catch a show: it can be the fulcrum of a constantly evolving community.

Christiane Bürklein

Interior Design: Roland Baldi Architects
Location: Falzes, Italy
Year: 2023
Images: Oskar Da Riz