‘We wanted to create a building that would be as much about music as a building can be,’ say UNStudio’s Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos on their Haus für Musik und Musiktheater der Kunstuniversität (MUMUTH) project in Graz.
MUMUTH, due to open in March 2009, is part of the city’s University for Music and Applied Art. However, the new building is much more than a mere campus theatre or a simple concert hall. Conceived nearly 10 years ago, the building will play host to shows and concerts, but it also includes a high-tech acoustic laboratory. Hannes Pfau, the firm’s project architect on site, explains: ‘The acoustics are adjustable. This way the sound is always ideal, for any type of performance.’
The building is organised around a spiral element, which holds the central concrete staircase, but is also stretched and folded to form the interior spaces, welding together all three floors.
The structure is divided in two zones, one more and one less private, but the whole building maintains an overall strong public character; even the rehearsal studios are open, and the audience is welcome to come and watch the artists during rehearsal.
From the flexible spaces of the multiple-use main performance hall, to the use of cutting-edge materials like high-performance concrete, MUMUTH will be one of the most advanced and dynamic performance spaces in Europe.
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