house of music by coop himmelb(l)au opens in aalborg

house of music by coop himmelb(l)au opens in aalborg
photo © martin schubert
all images courtesy of coop himmelb(l)au

after four years of construction, the ‘house of music’ has opened its doors to the public in aalborg, denmark. developed by viennese architectural studio coop himmelb(l)au, the cultural center is both a school and a concert venue, designed to promote the exchange of ideas and information among students, teachers and artists.

the focal point of the design is an expansive auditorium able to accommodate 1,300 guests. U-shaped rehearsal and training rooms articulated around this volume are connected through a spacious foyer that ends with a multi-storey area of glazing overlooking an adjacent fjord. under the foyer – a zone envisioned as a flexible meeting place – three more rooms of various sizes complement the scheme: the intimate hall, the rhythmic hall, and the classic hall. through multiple observation windows, students and visitors are able to look directly into the concert venue from the foyer and experience both performances and rehearsals.

the cultural center is both a school and a concert venue, designed to promote the exchange of ideas
photo © martin schubert

internally, the fluid curves of the auditorium contrast the strict, cubic outer structure with seats and curved balconies arranged to offer the best possible acoustics and views of the stage. developed in collaboration with tateo nakajima at arup, the complex acoustic strategy includes the detailed design of the amorphous plaster structures on the walls and the height-adjustable ceiling suspensions.

the design combines cultural and educational facilities with shared public and performance spaces
photo © rene jeppesen

from an environmental perspective, energy consumption is minimized through a range of solutions. instead of fans, the foyer uses the natural thermal buoyancy in the large vertical space for ventilation, while water-filled pipes in the floor slab are used for cooling in summer and heating in winter. the concrete walls around the venue act as additional storage capacity for thermal energy, with the adjacent fjord used for cost-free cooling. a building management program controls the building’s carious equipment, ensuring that systems are only active when they are required.

the entrances are formed by a combination of distinct architectural elements
photo © rene jeppesen

‘the idea behind the building can already be read from the outer shape. the school embraces the concert hall’, explained wolf d. prix design principal and CEO of coop himmelb(l)au. ‘music is the art of striking a chord in people directly. like the body of musical instruments, this architecture serves as a resonance body for the creativity in the house of music.’

see designboom‘s previous coverage of the ‘house of music‘ in both its concept and construction phases.

an internal foyer ends with a multi-storey area of glazing overlooking an adjacent fjord
photo © coop himmelb(l)au

the expansive public plaza in front of the cultural center
photo © rene jeppesen

sinuous and winding circulation routes connect the scheme
photo © martin schubert

the fluid curves of the auditorium contrast the strict, cubic outer structure
photo © martin schubert

the venue is one of the quietest spaces for symphonic music in europe
photo © coop himmelb(l)au

the acoustic strategy includes the detailed design of the amorphous plaster structures on the walls
photo © martin schubert

the auditorium can seat up to 1,300 visitors
photo © martin schubert

an aerial view of aalborg’s house of music
photo © coop himmelb(l)au

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project info:

house of music II project team
client: north jutland house of music foundation, aalborg, denmark
planning: coop himmelb(l)au, wolf d. prix & partner ZT GmbH
design principal / CEO: wolf d. prix
project partner: michael volk
design architect: luzie giencke
project architect: marcelo bernardi, pete rose
design architect interior: eva wolf

CAD-coordinator: ronny böser, benjamin schmidt
project team: markus baumann, wendy fok, robin heather, ivana jug, ariane marx, anja sorger, bo stjerne thomsen, anna wasserthal, philip wilck, blaine lepp, talya kozminsky, hannes walzl, morten grau jensen, stephanie neufeld, tyler bornstein, laura githa, julia  gärtner, jenny draxlbauer
3D visualization: armin hess/ isochrom, vienna; silkroad, beijing, china; jens mehlan, jörg hugo

local architects: friis & moltke, aalborg, denmark
acoustics, audio-visual & theatre design and planning consultant: arup, new york, USA
landscape architect: jeppe aagaard andersen, helsingør, denmark
structural engineering: rambøll, aalborg, denmark; B+G ingenieure, bollinger und grohmann gmbh, frankfurt, germany
mechanical, electrical and fire engineering: nirás, aalborg, denmark
cost consultant: davis langdon LLP, london, UK
lighting design consultant: har hollands, eindhoven, the netherlands
interior design consultant: eichinger offices, vienna, austria

project data
net floor area: 17,637 sqm
gross floor area: 20,257 sqm
concert hall: 1,298 seats

chronology
competition (1st place): 2003
layout planning HoM I: 2003-2005
postponement of the project: 2006-2007
start of layout planning HoM II: 2008
start of construction HoM II: 2010
completion HoM II: 2014