Steven Holl Architects and Architecture Acts to design Ostrava Concert Hall in the Czech Republic
By David Malone, Associate Editor
A new 1,300-seat concert hall is set for construction in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Steven Holl Architects and Architecture Acts won an international competition to design the project.
The building was designed as a “perfect acoustic instrument in its case,” according to the architects. A smooth case of zinc cladding holds an “instrument” in an extended vineyard-type plan made of concrete and maple wood. The hall is positioned facing an existing park at the building’s rear in order to shield urban traffic noise. A new entrance on the promenade rises over the top of the existing historical Cultural Center in a sky-lit lobby for the new hall.
Inside, Leoš Janáček’s theories of time will guide and organize the concert hall’s interior geometry. Acoustic panels are organized according to scasovani, or rhythm, in three variants: Znici = sounding, Scitaci = counting, Scelovac = summing.
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The Ostrava Concert Hall will provide performance space for the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra. It is slated for completion in 2023.
