The Municipality of Veenendaal has approved plans for a new Lampegiet Theatre in the centre of the city, designed by MVRDV in collaboration with Buro Happold. The project will replace the existing theatre on the same site with a contemporary cultural building designed to meet current expectations for sustainability, flexibility, and public use.
The new theatre will include a 700-seat main auditorium, a 200-seat auditorium, and a smaller 100-seat auditorium intended for Filmhuis Veenendaal and other organisations. Its defining feature is a porous ceramic façade that wraps the building like draped fabric, giving the theatre the presence of an urban lantern and opening it visually toward the city. The design draws on local history, referencing both Veenendaal’s cultural traditions and its industrial past.
Built in 1988, the Lampegiet Theatre takes its name from Lampegietersavond, a traditional local festival held each September in which children parade through the city carrying lanterns. Over time, however, the building has fallen short of today’s functional and technical standards and offers limited flexibility for new uses. In response, the municipality initiated plans for a replacement that could accommodate a broader range of programmes, including pop music performances and cinema, while also delivering a significantly improved environmental performance.
Stacked Volumes Create a Compact, Open Theatre
MVRDV’s design organises the programme into six distinct volumes, comprising the three auditoriums, foyer spaces, a café, and back-of-house functions. These volumes are stacked and compactly combined into a single structure, breaking down the overall mass of the building into smaller elements that relate to the surrounding urban fabric.
Visitors enter from the corner of the theatre square into a generous central foyer that spans three floors. This space includes a café with an outdoor terrace. A secondary foyer provides access to the multifunctional auditorium, while the flexible cinema is located on the first floor above, overlooking the theatre square and Veenendaal’s Old Church.
A Ceramic Façade That Lights the City
The building’s façade combines brick with glass fronted by flowing ceramic screens that resemble fabric draped across the structure. The material choice references both theatre curtains and Veenendaal’s history of industrial textile production. In the evening, when the foyers are illuminated, light filters through the perforated ceramic façades, casting a soft glow across the theatre square. In this way, the building functions as an urban lantern, echoing the city’s annual Lampegietersavond festival.
The new Lampegiet Theatre is planned as the cultural anchor of the Duivenweide district and the first step in a wider area redevelopment. Plans for the district include a green city park with an event area, a new parking facility, and housing. The theatre will connect this future park with one of Veenendaal’s main streets, helping to activate the surrounding public space.
Large glass façades along the foyers strengthen the relationship between the interior and the theatre square. Sliding doors allow the building to open directly onto the outside, enabling the café terrace and the park-like square to merge. This flexibility creates opportunities for events such as outdoor cinema screenings and open-air performances.
“With the Lampegiet Theatre, we bring Veenendaal’s rich history to life, from its Lampegietersavond celebrations to its industrial textile past,” says MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. “The building acts as an urban lantern, illuminating both the theatre square and the city. At the same time, its transparency encourages connection by blending inside and outside. Winning both the jury and public vote shows how strongly the design resonates with the community.”
The sustainability strategy for the project was developed together with Buro Happold. The theatre will incorporate photovoltaic panels, a heat pump, and other energy-efficient installations. Green planters will be integrated throughout the design, and existing trees identified by the municipality as valuable will be preserved. The building also supports local biodiversity through the integration of nesting boxes for birds and bats. Flexible spatial layouts ensure the theatre can adapt to future needs, extending its lifespan and reducing long-term environmental impact.
On September 29, 2025, the Municipality of Veenendaal hosted a public event attended by 400 residents, during which five architectural teams presented their proposals. Both the public and a professional jury of theatre and construction experts selected the design by MVRDV and Buro Happold as the preferred scheme. The Veenendaal City Council approved financing for the new theatre on January 22. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with completion scheduled for 2029.
Lampegiet Theatre Project Details
Project Name: Lampegiet Theatre
Location: Veenendaal, Netherlands
Client: Municipality of Veenendaal
Size and Programme: 6000 m² – Culture, theatre
Architect: MVRDV
Engineering & Sustainability Consultant: Buro Happold
Construction Start: Expected 2027
Completion: Scheduled for 2029
Image credit: MVRDV
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