A technical and digital renovation project to enhance the spectator experience
Located in the heart of Paris, the Théâtre Mogador is one of the most emblematic venues for live entertainment. Listed in the supplementary inventory of historic monuments, it welcomes major international productions and up to 1,600 spectators per performance every season. In this demanding patrimonial and operational context, modernizing the technical installations represented a strategic challenge in order to reconcile spectator comfort, energy performance and continuity of operation.
To meet these challenges, the Théâtre Mogador called on Equans Digital's Smart Building expertise, with the ambition of radically rethinking its Building Management System (BMS) and placing this iconic site on a sustainable, intelligent and evolutionary trajectory.
Background and challenges: modernising a historic cultural building in operation
The Théâtre Mogador had an obsolete BMS, limiting its ability to control, supervise and optimise its technical installations. In a cultural building open to the public on a daily basis, fine-tuned control of thermal comfort, ambience quality and energy consumption is a key factor in enhancing the spectator experience.
The challenges of the project were manifold:
- Audience comfort: guaranteeing homogeneous thermal conditions throughout the auditorium
- Energy performance: optimise energy consumption in an old, busy building
- Continuity of operation: intervene without interrupting cultural activities
- Heritage preservation: respect the architectural constraints of a listed site
The project was also part of a wider drive to achieve an energy transition and anticipate regulatory requirements in the service sector.
The technical challenges of an iconic theater in operation
Modernising the Théâtre Mogador meant overcoming several major technical challenges:
- An old building with complex, heterogeneous technical installations
- A continuous cultural activity, with variable schedules and uses
- A requirement for maximum equipment reliability, essential for the smooth running of shows
The Equans Digital teams designed a robust, scalable and unobtrusive solution, capable of integrating with the existing installations while paving the way for new digital uses and advanced building operation.
The Smart Building solution deployed by Equans Digital
Equans Digital carried out the complete renovation of the Théâtre Mogador's building management system, modernising all technical installations through the deployment of a high-performance, interoperable Smart Building architecture.
The solution is based on :
- Distech PLCs to control technical equipment
- Bacnet IP communication, guaranteeing system interoperability
- Iconics centralised supervision, providing a global, real-time view of building operations
This new Smart Building BMS enables automated control of heating and lighting equipment, while improving the readability, responsiveness and reliability of technical operations.
Beyond the technical renovation, the project was distinguished by a Smart Building innovation approach rarely implemented in a historic theater.
Equans Digital combined :
- Dynamic 3D scanning of the auditorium
- BIM modeling of the building
- Massive collection of thermal comfort data
Over 700 measurement points were taken in accordance with the ISO 7730 standard, in order to accurately analyse the thermal conditions actually experienced by spectators.
The data was then cross-referenced with the digital mock-up produced by the 3D scan, enabling us to map areas of discomfort or over-consumption of energy, down to seat level.
Thanks to this data-driven approach, the Théâtre Mogador's teams now have an advanced building performance management tool:
- Precise identification of areas of thermal discomfort
- Rapid implementation of targeted corrective actions
- Measurable improvement in spectator comfort
- Ongoing optimisation of technical installations
This achievement illustrates Equans Digital 's ability to transform building data into an operational lever for user experience, energy efficiency and operational excellence.
An international Smart Building reference
By modernising the BMS at the Théâtre Mogador, Equans Digital has demonstrated its ability to help emblematic cultural buildings move towards intelligent, sustainable Smart Building models.
This approach is replicable on an international scale for :
- Theaters and concert halls
- Operas and auditoriums
- Cultural buildings and public amenities
It is fully in line with Equans Digital's Smart Building vision, combining technological innovation, energy efficiency and excellence of use, for the benefit of operators and the public alike.
