Designed by Ben van Berkel of the Dutch architecture firm UNStudio for the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (KUG), the Haus für Musik und Musiktheater der Kunstuniversität Graz (MUMUTH) is a faculty building in Graz, Austria. The new Music Theatre, designed by UNStudio’s Ben van Berkel with Caroline Bos following an international competition with 212 entries, has already formed the Austrian contribution to the Venice Biennale of Architecture. 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.

The relationship between music and architecture is a classical one. Too classical for our times, may be the thought of many contemporary architects. But that is not our view, UNStudio likes classical with a twist. The theme of the acoustic space, explored for its dramatic potential by Le Corbusier and Xenakis is still to us a topic of fascination and incredible potential today. And since the MUMUTH theatre belongs to the University of Graz and is therefore a place where young musicians receive their instruction in the performing and musical arts, it seems to us even more appropriate to let the architecture communicate that this is a building in which music lives.

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.’

Construction of the 19 million euro new music theatre began in March 2006 and in August 2008 the Federal Real Estate Society (BIG) entrusted the main part of the building to the KUG. In February 2009 the MUMUTH also hosted part of the 7th International Competition “Franz Schubert and Modern Music”. more architecture design by UNStudio

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 2:50 pm and is filed under Architecture Design. Tags: acoustic space, Architecture, Architecture Design, architecture firm UNStudio, Austria, Austria architecture, Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos, Concert Hall, construction, contemporary, contemporary architects, design, dutch architecture, dynamic performance, EUR, Europe, Federal Real Estate Society, Graz, Hannes Pfau, high-tech acoustic laboratory, House, interior, le corbusier, Modern, Modern Music, Modern Music Records GmbH, new music theatre, performance concrete, performance hall, Performing Arts Graz, public character, rehearsal studios, Studios, Styria, Theater building, University of Graz, University of Music, University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, unstudio, Venice Biennale. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.