Casa da Musica / OMA

Curated by ArchDaily

Architects: OMA
Area: 22000 m²
Year: 2005
Manufacturers: Danpal, panoramah!®, Lastra y Zorrilla, Cricursa, Facal, Interescritório, UNIBETÃO, Viúva Lamego, thyssenkrupp
Acoustics: TNO Eindhoven, Dorsser Blesgraaf, Renz van Luxemburg, Theo Raijmakers

Category: Concert House, Cultural Center
Architect In Charge: Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon
Project Architects: Adrianne Fisher, Michelle Howard
Competition Team: Rem Koolhaas, Fernando Romero Havaux, Isabel Silva, Barbara Wolff, Uwe Herlijn
Project Team: Isabel Silva, Uwe Herlijn, Nuno Rosado, Robert Choeff, Barbara Wolff, Stephan Griek, Govert Gerritsen, Saskia Simon, Thomas Duda, Christian von der Muelde, Rita Amado, Philip Koenen, Peter Müller, Krystian Keck, Eduarda Lima, Christoff Scholl, Alex de Jong, Alois Zierl, Olaf Hitz, Jorge Toscano, Duarte Santos, Nelson Carvalho, Stefanie Wandinger, Catarina Canas, Shadi Rahbaran, Chris van Duijn, Maria Baptista, André Cardoso, Paulo Costa, Ana Jacinto, Fabienne Louyot, Nicolas Firket, Christina Beaumont, Anna Little
Local Architect: ANC Architects, Jorge Carvalho, Teresa Novais
Ers – Afassociados | Coordination: Arup, Afa, Rui Furtado, Marco Carvalho, Cecil Balmond, Rory McGowan
Ove Arup & Partners – Afassociados | Structure: Arup, AFA Lda, Cecil Balmond, Rory McGowan, Asim Gaba, Toby Maclean, Andrew Minson, Rui Furtado, Rui Oliveira, Pedro Moás, Sérgio Vale, Sara Caetano, Jorge Carneiro, Filipe Ferreira, Diogo Vasconcelos
Ove Arup & Partners – Afassociados | Services: Arup, AFA Lda, rga, Tim Thornton, Stefan Waldhauser, Dane Green, Dorothee Richter, António José Rodrigues Gomes, Joaquim Viseu, Luís Graça, Paulo Silva, Pedro Albuquerque, Isabel Sarmento, Estevão Santana.
Ove Arup & Partners – Afassociados | Fire Engineering: Arup, George Faller
Code Consultancy: Code Consultancy
Interiors, Curtains: Inside Outside, Petra Blaisse, Peter Niessen, Marieke van den Heuvel, Mathias Lehner
Scenography: Ducks Scéno, Michel Cova, Stephan Abromeit, Aldo de Sousa
Facade: Robert Jan van Santen, Arup Façade Engineering
Curved Glass Facade: ABT Arnhem (NL), Rob Nijsse Auditorium
Chairs: Maarten van Severen
Loose Furniture Foyers: Daciano da Costa, António Sena da Silva, Leonor Álvares de Oliveira, Fernando Távora
City: Porto
Country: Portugal

Text description provided by the architects. The past thirty years have seen frantic attempts by architects to escape the domination of the "shoe-box" concert hall. Rather than struggle with the inescapable acoustic superiority of this traditional shape, the Casa da Musica attempts to reinvigorate the traditional concert hall in another way: by redefining the relationship between the hallowed interior and the general public outside. The Casa da Musica, the new home of the National Orchestra of Porto, stands on a new public square in the historic Rotunda da Boavista. It has a distinctive faceted form, made of white concrete, which remains solid and believable in an age of too many icons. Inside, the elevated 1,300-seat (shoe box-shaped) Grand Auditorium has corrugated glass facades at either end that open the hall to the city and offer Porto itself as a dramatic backdrop for performances. Casa da Musica reveals its contents without being didactic; at the same time, it casts the city in a new light.