Submitted by Berrin Chatzi Chousein

UNStudio’s proposal for Beethoven Festspielhaus

Turkey Architecture News - Nov 29, 2014 - 15:27   5224 views

UNStudio’s proposal for Beethoven Festspielhaus

image courtesy of Beethoven Festspielhaus

The design submitted by the Amsterdam-based architects features an arrangement of geometric forms varying in size and shape set – and at times floating – within a transparent façade. Assembled around the concert hall, the interplay between the open and closed spaces is intended to emulate the richness and intensity of Beethoven’s music. As UNStudio founder Ben van Berkel puts it: “The visitor experiences architecture captured in a frozen symphony.”  

UNStudio’s proposal for Beethoven Festspielhaus

image courtesy of Beethoven Festspielhaus

The alternation between the concrete and natural stone volumes and the glass elements plays with the relationship between inside and outside. The geometric theme carries over into the structure’s interior, allowing for ever-changing perspectives. As an expression of its public function and desire to integrate the population at large, the foyer of the Festspielhaus is to remain open to the public when it is not being used as a performance space. The shoebox concert hall allows daylight to filter in directly above the stage, making the orchestra and the centrally hanging glass organ main focal points within the space.

UNStudio’s proposal for Beethoven Festspielhaus

image courtesy of Beethoven Festspielhaus

A large park serves as a connective space, where city, river, new and existing buildings meet. The largely green area in the upper-most section turns to a paved walkway leading Rhineward, transforming into the main entrance area to the Festspielhaus and further on, into a grand stair descending to the riverfront.

UNStudio’s proposal for Beethoven Festspielhaus

image courtesy of Beethoven Festspielhaus

Project Facts

Concert hall:1,500 / 800 seats
Form:Shoebox
Material - Building structure:Concrete, natural stone, glass

Material - Concert hall:Concrete (exterior), two red-colored woods (interior)

> via beethoven-festspielhaus.de