National Music Center / SPF Architects
Rendering By-Encore
Culver City, California based firm, SPF Architects recently presented their design concept for the Cantos National Music Center for Calgary. The project is “seen by many as one of the country’s most ambitious and important urban-design projects.” Located in the center of Calgary, the new music center will not only focus on performance areas but will become more of a cultural space as it will be “part museum and part education.”
More about the Music Center after the break.
Rendering By-Encore
For the final presentation, SPF showed a documentary film that took “viewers on a journey, not only through the building, but through the entire creative process and soul of the project.” The proposal aims to revitalize the area and the music scene by having the building’s internal life revealed in the structure. To create the necessary room for the programmatic elements, a bridge floats 33 feet above the street, King Eddy, to connect the two main masses. Poetically, the bridge is connecting the people while it also creates the least amount of interruption for the street and responds to the needs of the program. By having this bridge, the street can remain open and this new space provides views of the city and “honors the King Eddy.”
Rendering By-Encore
The proposal creates fluid internal spaces where performance areas, workshops and galleries fuse together to make “an environment where music can be played, enjoyed and celebrated.” The building takes a “pure form so it does not detract from what’s important” such as how the building functions musically and communally.
Rendering By-Encore
Rendering By-Encore
Rendering By-Encore
The awarded firm will be announced this September.
This looks like a monolith in witch someone carved in .Nice vimeo video!
The building looks great, but its ability to “perform” is questionable. Having worked in quite a few performance venues the extensive use of windows and natural light seems ironic. Where will the stage lights be hung? Will all the windows be covered in curtains to optimize usability?
The video is well produced. Great insight into the process.
I am not a performing musician, so I can’t really comment on the practical use of the center, but I can say that this would be a great addition to the Calgary skyline. I love the bridge idea. I like it more than the Diller Scofidio + Renfro/Kasian concept.
Good observation, MSPage! As part of the design team (and one who’s worked on a number of MAJOR performance venues) I can say this is definitely something we took under consideration – and will continue to should the project move forward in our favor. Suffice it to say that we’ve accounted for the variability of natural light, variable acoustics and for theater grids in all performance spaces [we do have one of the world’s premier consultants on the team!]. All this is visible in information that was submitted in our package but not posted here. We did not want to burden the ArchDaily site with more technical drawings showing how we worked out the loading dock and mechanical systems but it is all there- rest assured. Also, as with the time limit imposed on competitions- as you very well know- a lot of things are left for the real schematic design phase- which would include working these things out with the user. Thanks though for your obvious astuteness!
The concept is good and the presentation is excellent, but I would like to see some drawings.Specially the details.
This is by far my favorite entry to this competition. I congratulate SPF on a brilliant entry.
…actually wait….I have one comment.
All the entries to this competition proposed gutting the King Eddy and replacing with what appears to be very sterile, high-end dinner-club-esque interiors.
I have a problem with this, as the original blues club was fantastically messy, very intimate, and perfect breeding ground for great blues music.
I hope that SPF (or whoever the winner will be) will nod to this in their final design.
Attractive work! but the stair hall is a little bit dull.All over there is stone facade.
nice , but i think when they inserted the people they were off by another 50%. those people need to be doubled in size ….no?
Surely the most thoughtful of the 5 finalists. Outstanding work, I thought the video presentation sold the ideas extremely well. I hope SPF wins this competition. Way to go!
not bad,but it could be better