Concert Hall Jordanek

The plot of the project is set in a green ring around the center of the small and meticulous Polish town of Torun and bordering the new development of the city.

The project site is designed to exist as half of the area of the site. This is to give the remaining area to the park. A green arc is created to create views onto the theatre as well as make the park appear larger. The views to the river stay intact, to assure that the project does not block views to the river it was essential to keep the building’s heigh the smallest possible. This was also advantageous to the historic nature of the neighborhood, as the building blends with the site and exists as a natural object.

The building expresses a fusion of old and new through the use of materials. The interior uses brick, a material present on nearly all the façades of the historic center. The exterior is created with an almost white concrete, as it is cut and carved away shades of red appear as the lining in its holes. The buildings use of material is a reinterpretation of the traditional use of brick establishing a parallel between the tectonics of the city and the location of the plot. The interplay of colors, red and white, emphasizes the dichotomy between the modern and historic architectures and the innovations in technologies used in construction. We use to explain the volume of the concert hall through the experience of eating Zurek, a very popular dish eaten in Poland. Zurek is a traditional soup served in a bun whose crumb has been removed and its outer shell is used as a bowl.

The concert hall’s outer skin remains rigid while inside, the building exists as a fluid that brings together the different functions, its many elements different but existing together but slowly combining and playing off each other. Holes and cuts made in its rigid shell allow the red to seep out to the exterior. The program is carefully considered and flexible in nature, the building allows the theatre to create different capacities of the theatre allowing it to change from performance to performance like a sponge. Allowing two rooms to act as the main theatre moving the walls changes the number of seats available. The concert hall may also be opened to the outside, allowing outdoor performances and use of the park for events. The design is open and permeable, it allows people to pass though it toward the square, providing a complete and continuous connection to the public.

One of the most impressive aspects of engineering in this project is its variable acoustics system. The ceiling of the performance hall is flexible and can be dropped dramatically changing the volume of the hall effecting it’s acoustic qualities and allowing for the greatest possible flexibility in acoustic design of the space. The largest volume of 8,200 cubic meters allows a reverberation time of 1.85 sections. This reverb time is reduced to 1.4 seconds when the ceiling is modified reducing the volume of the space to only 6,800 cubic meters. With the inclusion of absorption material, the theatre is able to meet all acoustic requirements from symphonic performances, which require a time of 1.85. Lowering the reverberation time optimizes the space for more vocal performances like opera, which requires a minimum of 1.2 seconds.

The Concert Hall Jordanek will become an international symbol of culture and architecture for the city of Torun. Thanks to its unique location and strategic position, it is not just a new building, but a single object, an emblem and reflection of the pride of its society.

The building creates an intimate inner world, maintaining the fluid connection with the outside world, it behaves like a door. It allows user to go through it and reach a square which is the heart of the buildings site.

The project aims to create an auditorium adaptable to various events and various public capacities that is even able to hold several separate events simultaneously. It is also engineered so that it is able to effectively absorb symphonic performances, chamber, theater, opera, cinema and meet any acoustic requirements the theatre designer requires.

Site: Torún, Polonia 
Project: Menis Arquitectos (Fernando Menis)
Assistant Architect: Karolina Mysiak
Coordination: Studio A4 
Client: Ayuntamiento de Torún 
Materials: Concrete and Brick
Project year:  2011
Construction year: 2015
Area of terrain: 13.739 (hall), 46.971 m2 (all the terrain)
Built area: 21.837 m2
Volume: 158.183 m3

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