Architecture Days 2026: step inside Claude Parent's pyramid in Paris

Slanted planes, a pyramidal roof and bold design: explore the Théâtre Silvia Monfort in the 15th arrondissement during the 2026 edition of the Journées de l’architecture.

A 23-metre-high hexagonal pyramid rising in the middle of a Parisian park? That striking silhouette is what you’ll find at the Théâtre Silvia Monfort, tucked away in Paris’s 15th arrondissement. And good news: you can explore this remarkable building during the National Architecture Days , coming to Paris and the entire Île-de-France from 16 to 18 October 2026. This cultural rendezvous invites the curious and the passionate to see our everyday landscapes with fresh eyes, to understand the technical choices of builders, and to step inside familiar or secret buildings. Framed by the tree-lined avenues of the Georges-Brassens Park, this renowned hub of stage creation proves that modernity can engage in dialogue with Paris’s popular memory.

Claude Parent and the Odyssey of the Oblique Function

Opened in the early 1990s to replace the actress Silvia Monfort’s touring tent, the building is the work of Claude Parent, the theorist of the “oblique function.” This avant-garde architectural movement rejects the tyranny of vertical lines and flat floors in favor of sloped planes, dynamic ramps, and sculptural geometric volumes. The edifice presents itself as a large reinforced concrete structure clad in a dark gray metal shell, its conical form recalling the circus tents dear to the founder. Inside, the vast seating bowl with its descending tiers erases the usual boundary between the stage and the audience.

This place sits on ground with a double memory. Before it housed the famous Vaugirard abattoirs in the 19th century, this plain was home to the Périchot vineyard, renowned since the Middle Ages. The nearby park continues this viticultural tradition with the vines of the clos des Morillons.

The 2026 Architecture Days program at the Silvia Monfort Theatre in Paris

Guided tour of the Silvia Monfort Theatre
Before it became a theater, the site that now houses the Théâtre Silvia Monfort has, in its history, hosted vineyards, the Vaugirard slaughterhouses, a horse market, and a circus tent.

Built by architect Claude Parent in the 1990s, the theater takes the striking form of a 23-meter-tall hexagonal pyramid overlooking Georges Brassens Park.

Discover the theater's history, closely linked to that of Silvia Monfort, an actress, Resistance fighter, and founding director of the venue, on the occasion of a guided tour, and explore its spaces, from the stage to the dressing rooms!
Participation conditions: Free by reservation: publics@theatresilviamonfort.eu - Free | Booking required - publics@theatresilviamonfort.eu
Schedule: Saturday, October 17, 2026 — 11:00–12:30

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