Concert Hall in Blaibach
The concert hall in Blaibach, recently opened and centrepiece of various urban design measures aimed at revitalizing the town centre, looks like a monolith dropped from the sky, stuck at an angle within the newly designed pavement of the town square. Vertical joints between facade elements indicate tectonic intent to the expert eye, and the granite surface is reminiscent of the local stonecraft traditions. The inclined cube constitutes the conclusive response to the sloped construction site and the building’s function as a concert hall. The inclined floor of the closed box supports the rows of seats of the auditorium and covers the exterior stairs of corresponding width that lead from the town square to the underside of the cube. This is where the foyer and its auxiliary rooms is situated, providing ground level access to the garden in the rear of the building. Visitors are guided past the wardrobe and bar, around the auditorium, and finally into its interior. The atmosphere of the concert hall is characterized by the exposed concrete surfaces of the walls and ceiling, structured into horizontal bands. The texture of the concrete extends beyond many of these “folds” and emphasizes the appearance of a monolithically cast space. It is illuminated by indirect light provided by hidden LED bands along the underside of the tilted concrete surfaces.
