The town of Grottammare and the nearby communities, together with a local foundation, have decided to create a special facility with a 1,500-seat multi-purpose auditorium (the Main Room), combined with a 250- to 400-seat meeting room, together with educational, exhibition, and recreation spaces. With its location close to the sea and its direct connection to the highway, A.N.I.M.A. can be a major regional activator. Rather than resorting to convoluted volumes to arrive at some now predictable extravagance, Bernard Tschumi Architects designed the ANIMA building around two clear ideas or concepts.

First, we wanted the interior of the building to read as a small town of sorts, and to generate unexpected events through its plazas and cortili. Second, we aimed at a simple exterior, with four vertical perimeter walls or facciate, hence investigating the concept of "facades" instead of envelopes in this project.