vab_SQ.
VADABUSE SQ. CONCERT HALL, RAKVERE ESTONIA
VABADUSE CONCERT HALL SQUARE, RAKVERE BRIEF + MASTERPLAN THE COMPETITION BRIEF, LOOKEDAT REGENERATING THE VADABUSE SQ. IN RAKVERE, INCLUDING THE PROVISION OF A NEW CONCERT HALL WITHIN AND EXTENDING THE EXISTING CHURCH. FROM LOOKING AT THE SITE MATERIAL, IT BECAME APPARENT THAT IT WAS THE SQUARE, AND ITS FAILURE TO WORK AS A USEABLE SPACE WHICH WAS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM. THIS BIG ISSUE, FOR US WAS SOMETHING WHICH NEEDED TO BEADDRESSED. WHEN WE CONSIDERED THE FULL DESIGN PROGRAM FOR THE CONCERT HALL, ALONG WITH THE HISTORICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF THE EXISTING STRUCTURE, WE QUICKLY DECIDED WE WOULD BREAK UP THE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS, AND APPLY THEM THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE SITE AREA, INCLUDING THE SQUARE. THE FIRST IDEA WAS TO STOP THE SQUARE WORKING ONLY AS A ROUND ABOUT. WE CLOSED OFF ONE ROAD, AND WE DECIDED TO MOVE SOME OF THE PROGRAM FROM THE CHURCH SITE TO THE SQUARE SITE, THIS WOULD ACTIVATE THE AREA AND GIVE IT A FUNCTION, THUS POPULATING THE SPACE. A CONCERT HALL WAS TO BE ADDED, THIS SEEMED LIKE A PERFECT LOCATION FOR SUCH A HALL, RATHER THAN TRYING TO MAKE A CONCERT HALL WORK WITH THE EXISTING CHURCH BUILDING, AND MAKING A MISH MASH BETWEEN EXISTING AND NEW, WE WANTED TO PROVIDE A STAND ALONE DESIGNATED CONCERT HALL, WHICH WOULD BE STATE OF THE ART. ALSO WE PROVIDED SOME OF THE ANCILLARY FUNCTIONS SUCH AS TICKETING / CAFÉ / RESTAURANTS AS PAVILIONS, ACCESSIBLE TO BOTH CONCERT GOERSAND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
GROUND IS LANDSCAPED SOFT / HARD TREATMENT
PUBLIC SPACE (ABOVE GROUND)
DESIGN CONCEPT HE DESIGN CONCEPT WAS GENERATED AROUND THE IDEA OF THE SQUARE BEING A PUBLIC PLACE FOR PEOPLE, AN URBAN CONGREGATION SPACE. THEREFORE WE SOUGHT TO PLACE THE CONCERT HALL UNDERGROUND, GIVING BACK OPEN SPACE TO THE PEOPLE, WHILE STILL PROVIDING AN ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTION.
GROUND MOUNDS OVER CONCERT HALL
CONCERT HALL (BELOW GROUND)
DESIGN PROPOSAL
CONCEPT DIAGRAM
THE DESIGN OF THE SPACE IS THAT OF A SURFACE WHICH MOUNDS UP AND DOWN, UNDULATING TO PROVIDE COVER FOR THE CONCERT HALL, AND OPEN SPACE FOR THE PEOPLE. THAT LANDSCAPE IS BOTH HARD AND SOFT, ALLOWING FOR DIFFERENTACTIVITIES WHATEVER THE WEATHER. THE CHURCH DESIGN WAS DEALT WITH IN A LESS INVASIVE MANNER, KEEPING THE ORIGINAL ARCHITECTURE ALIVE, WITH NEW SPACES WHICH OCCUPY THE BUILDING INTERNALLY. THIS IS LIKE A BOX WITHIN THE BOX (CHURCH ENVELOPE). ALSO THERE IS PROVISION FOR ALESS FORMAL OUTDOOR THEATER,AT THE SIDE OF THE CHURCH.
SQUARE OVERVIEW
CONCERT HALL AND SQUARE DESIGN SPECIFICS THE CONCERT HALL ESSENTIALLY CONSISTS OF A SPIRAL, WORKING FROM THE OUTER SQUARE INSIDEAND DOWN INTO THE CONCERT HALL. THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE FOYER AND THE SQUARE IS BLURRED, THUS PROVIDING A RICH INTERACTION BETWEEN THE INSIDE AND THE OUTSIDE. BY PROVIDING ACTIVITIES ON THE SQUARE SUCH AS TICKETING, EATING AND DRINKING THE SQUARE IS CONTINUALLY BEING POPULATED, LEAVING BEHIND THE PREVIOUS DEAD SPACE USE WHICH EXISTSAT THE MOMENT. THE CONCERT HALL IS DESIGNED UN SYMMETRICALLY, AND CHANGES THE CONCEPTS OF WHAT IS A BALCONY AND WHAT ARE THE STALLS. THIS NON SYMETRICALITY ALONG WITH THE INTERIOR MODULATED PLYWOOD INTERIOR, ENSURESAMAXIMUMACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE. THE PERFORMERS ENTRANCE IS SUBTLY DESIGNED AS A PAVILION IN THE PARK LANDSCAPE. THIS ENTRANCE CAN ALSO BE USED TO LOADS GOODS / INSTRUMENTS INTO THE SERVICE AREAS OF THE CONCERT HALL. LARGER OBJECTS SUCH AS PIANOS AND SET PIECES CAN BE BROUGHT IN THROUGH THE MAIN FOYER ENTRANCE, AS THE HALL RAMPS DOWN TO THE STAGE, THIS IS EASILYACCOMMODATED. THE ROOF OF THE CONCERT HALL HAS 2 QUALITIES. ITS IS A GREEN SPACE WHICH CAN BE USED AS PICNIC AREA, AND ALSO AN ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE, GIVING US A GLIMPSE OF WHAT IS CONTAINED BELOW. THE ROOF IS DESIGNED SUCH THAT THE HALL MAY TAKE IN NATURAL LIGHT AND VENTILATION, AND ALSO THE PEOPLE OUTSIDE MAY BE LET IN ON WHAT IS BELOW THROUGH POSSIBLE SOUNDAND SIGHT. DESIGN ASPIRATIONS BY BUILDING A SPECIFIC CONCERT HALL, IT IS SURELY HOPED THAT RAKVERE WILL HAVE A PREMIUM MUSIC SPACE AND VENUE, WHICH WILL SET AHIGH STANDARD FOR VENUES THROUGHOUT EUROPE. EXTERIOR VIEW
INTERIOR VIEW - ONTO STAGE
INTERIOR VIEW - FROM STAGE
IT WILL BE AN ASPIRATION FOR PERFORMERS ALIKE, THAT THEY MIGHT PLAY AT VADABUSE SQUARE, CONCERT HALL.
ST. PAULS CHURCH OUR PROPOSAL FOR THE EXISTING ST. PAUL'S CHURCH IS TO HOUSE THE SMALL CONCERT HALL. EVEN THOUGH IT WILL BE PART OF THE GRAND 'FREEDOM HALL' MASTER PLAN, IT WILL HAVE ITS OWN DISTINCTIVENESS. THE SMALL CONCERT HALL WILL BE WITHIN THE EXISTING BUILDING ENVELOPE WITHALL NEW SPACES BELOW GROUND. THE ROOF FOR THESE NEW SPACES WILL BE TERRACED AND LANDSCAPED FOR A NEW OUTDOOR OPEN THEATER. THE TERRACED ROOF STRUCTURE WILL CREATE THE MISSING STEEPLE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY PROPOSED BY ARCHITECT ALAR KOTLI. OPPOSITE STAGE WE HAVE AN EMBANKMENT WITH TREE-LINED BACKGROUND AND THE WEST ELEVATION OF THE EXISTING BUILDING PROVIDINGABACKDROP FOR THE PROMPT. AS WE ENTER (OUT OF THE ROAD) THE ENTRY HALL IS A TOWER OF SPACE AND LIGHT. THE ARK THAT HOLDS 'MUSIC AND PLAY' HOUSES THE SMALL CONCERT HALL WITHIN THE EXISTING BUILDING. THE ARK IS MADE OUT OF TIMBER CLADDING AND ITS WALLS ANGLED AWAY FROM THE EAST AND WEST WALLS TO MAINTAIN THE EXISTING WINDOWS AND ALLOW LIGHT THROUGH TO GROUND LEVEL. THIS AT THE SAME TIME EXPOSES THE COLUMNS WITHIN THE SMALL CONCERT HALL.
ENTRANCE FOYER / RECEPTION
CONCERT HALL - VIEW FROM STAGE
CONCERT HALL - VIEW TO STAGE