Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO – IL)

Sinfonia Varsovia . Warsaw

source: SO – IL

This competition entry is for a 1500-seat performance hall situated within the beautiful former Veterinarian Institute in Warsaw, Poland. This lush enclave has qualities which, in its transformation to the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra performance center, would be used to strengthen the special character of the location. These qualities—its classical organization, a number of historic buildings and the omnipresence of nature—give the site an air of tranquility and timelessness.

With our proposal, this site is made accessible and permeable. First, we would introduce entrances on all sides, thus creating a welcoming air, nestling the institute and the music performed therein within the neighborhood and the city beyond.

In line with the overall concept for the site, the performance hall is positioned on a central axis. Through its plan and form, the building not only responds to the monuments on-site but also transcends these and opens up the site to activities and audiences beyond these buildings and borders. The interior of the public space is elegant and can be experienced by ascending the dramatic circulation between the hall and the outer form. Clear separations between back of house and front of house and ticketed and non-ticketed areas make the building easy to navigate and operate. Dressing rooms and the large rehearsal room are situated under the hall, making for a compact, functional building. The rehearsal and performance rooms are structurally separated from the rest of the building for acoustic reasons.

The proposed concert hall is designed following a vineyard approach. The stage and seating are enclosed in an inner volume that communicates with a surrounding outer volume. The connection between the inner and outer volumes can be opened or closed to adjust for orchestral forces and reverberation requirements of the musical repertoire. Sets of reflective surfaces are situated above, behind and around audience terraces. The shape and angle of the reflective surfaces are parametrically optimized to catch sound coming from the stage and orchestra reflector and to send it back onto audience terraces, providing an enhanced sense of acoustic intimacy, clarity and spaciousness.

Variable Volume – Inner/Outer Box Concept
Inner box contains the stage and seating around the stage in a multiple terrace arrangement. Openings behind the seating terraces communicate sound emitted on stage to a coupled “outer box” that envelops the inner volume.

Acoustic ‘Pod’ Concept
Shape and angle of the reflective surfaces are parametrically optimized, providing an enhanced sense of acoustic intimacy, clarity and spaciousness.

This competition entry was a collaboration between SO - IL and ARUP Acoustics

Client: Local Government Institution of Culture of the Capital City of Warsaw
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Program: Concert Hall 1500 seats, rehearsal 500 seats
Area: 15.200m² / 16.400 sf
Status: Competition in 2010
Team: Florian Idenburg, Jing Liu, Iannis Kandyliaris, Ilias Papageorgiou, Ted Baab, Blanka Levacic, Domagoj Marakovic