Théâtre Impérial

Fontainebleau, France

The Imperial Theatre of the Château de Fontainebleau is an exceptional example of 19th-century theatre architecture and acoustics. Built under Napoleon III and restored in 2011 after more than 150 years of closure to the public, the theatre offers a rare opportunity to document the acoustic character of an important historic performance space.

In 2026, Studio Jouan and the LAM - Institut d'Alembert (CNRS–Sorbonne Université) carried out a new acoustic measurement campaign in the theatre. The work follows their 2023 collaboration on the Hall Napoléon beneath the Louvre Pyramid and continues Studio Jouan’s wider interest in documenting and preserving the acoustic heritage of historic venues.

The campaign was carried out under the direction of Dr Brian FG Katz, a regular external consultant to Studio Jouan and an internationally recognised researcher in room acoustics (including his research work on Notre-Dame de Paris) together with Charlotte Fernandez, Alonso Varela Greenawalt and Sébastien Jouan.

For Studio Jouan, acoustic heritage is an integral part of architectural heritage: understanding how historic rooms sound is essential both to scientific knowledge and to their long-term conservation and use.

Team: Brian FG Katz, Charlotte Fernandez PhD researcher at LAM, Alonso Varela Greenawalt and Sébastien Jouan.

Client: Château de Fontainebleau

Year: 2026