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Discover Palau de les Arts | Know the Palau

Know the Palau

SPACES

Surrounded by a green landscaped area of 87,000 square metres and expanses of water of over 10,000 square metres with surrounding walkways, the Palau de les Arts has 4 main halls:

  • The Sala Principal, with a capacity of 1.412 spectators, is the most emblematic space in Calatrava’s majestic building. It is here that the opera, ballet and other stage performances.
  • The Auditori can seat 1.490 spectators with excellent visibility in all seats. Due to its physical characteristics, it is especially suitable for symphonic concerts, cinematographic premieres, large conferences or congresses, and special events.
  • The Teatre Martín i Soler is located beneath the bed of the Turia river, this theatre, named after the 18th century musician who was Valencia’s most universal composer of all times, seats 400 people. The theatre generally hosts baroque opera and chamber music events and features an opera pit and a full complement of the latest stage equipment.
  • The Aula Magistral has a capacity of 378 people. It is thus ideal for smaller events. The stage set-up is perfectly suited for conferences, recitals, lectures, or round table discussions.

The building also includes installations for teaching activities and other events closely related to artistic and cultural spheres.

ARCHITECTURE

After the inauguration of the Hemisfèric in 1998, Science Museum and the Umbracle in 2000, and the opening to the public of the Oceanogràfic in 2003, the Palau de les Arts completes the artistic facet of the Generalitat’s firm bid for culture in its broadest sense together with science, technology, and nature.

It was inaugurated in 2005 and is equipped with the most modern technologies to constitute an avant-garde and modern space, which is the cultural catalyst that has placed the Region of Valencia, with its centenary musical tradition, in a privileged position among all other world regions.

This majestic building, designed by the Valencia architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava, means that both the city and the Region of Valencia have the best infrastructure available in order to participate on international circuits, especially those of opera and major musical shows.

The innovative architecture of this 40.000 square metre building -75 metres high-, accommodates four venues for opera, music, ballet and theatre.

It has projecting platforms at various heights with walkways and vegetation that can be reached by panoramic lifts and stairways located inside the metallic frames standing on both sides of the building.

The building as a whole is lenticular in shape and has been developed under a large additional roof or metallic feather on two supports, one on the end in the western area and another intermediate one that leaves the eastern area of the roof as a projection. The material used par excellence is the white concrete that is part of the major structural supports of the building, while trencadis is the second commonest material used to cover the spectacular "shells" of the Palau.

The roof or "feather" is the most spectacular structural element and is 230 metres long and more than 70 m high, The two "shells" that embrace the building on the outside are of laminated steel and weigh some 3,000 tons; they have a ceramic covering on the outside (trencadis). The maximum outer dimensions of the building, taking into account its curved shapes, are 163 m long and 87 m wide.