Mumuth Music Theatre Mumuth Music Theatre

Office / Name of Architects UNStudio / Ben van Berkel www.unstudio.com Colaboraters

City / Country Graz, Austria

Placement Shortlisted

Programme Cultural

Edition 2011

The building for the faculty Music and Performing Arts at the University of Graz, the MUMUTH Music Theatre, gives home to a performance theatre with circa 500 seats, a foyer and dressing rooms. Faculty areas in the building contain study- and rehearsal rooms for the students and offices for the faculty members. Other features in the building are a high-tech acoustic laboratory and a cafeteria, all incorporated into a building with a building site of approx. 2.745m2 and a floor surface of 6.200m2. Design concept MUMUTH Music Theatre has a high multi functionality, adding different user programs and logistics within one building. From the beginning it was clear that MUMUTH would be used by students as well as visitors for the theatre. The design is therefore oriented around the Blob-to-Box model, which consists of a spiral whose ends are interwoven with its middle part. This generates the internal organization which is divided into two parts; The Blob gives shape to the public spaces, including the foyer on the second floor, while the Box covers all other areas, including the performance theatre. Because a spiral is used for internal construction, a column free spatial arrangement is created, giving visitors a clear view across the foyer. The design for MUMUTH Music Theatre is inspired by the interaction between architecture and music. The building communicates with its essence in different ways: The archetypal figure of the spiral has associated characteristics that are closely related to music, such as rhythm, continuity, channelling, directionality, intersections. A musical pattern is applied on the facade as well as the custom designed acoustic panels, which were especially developed to meet the specific acoustical requirements of the music programme. The panels are adjustable, thereby meeting the acoustic requirements of the widely varied musical styles performed in the building. Site conditions The MUMUTH Music Theatre is located in de centre of Graz and plays an important role in the cultural centre of the city. During the day, the facade is opaque, in correspondence with the closed, educational function of the building. At night however, the opaque facade becomes transparent, opening itself up to its surroundings and attracting visitors to the theatre. This creates communication between a modern MUMUTH with classical music and neoclassical surroundings. An analysis of the sustainable aspects of the work. The double layered facade is made out of stainless steel mesh that filters daylight. This reduces the heat load of the building up to 50%. The public areas contain a passive ventilation system in which cool air enters via windows on the ground floor. It then rises through the building by natural heating and exits through the roof. The building is thus cooled without the use of air-conditioning. Furthermore, highly sustainable materials were used in de interior as well as the exterior of the building. The durable interior design of the central foyer consisting of concrete, terrazzo and steel is adapted to the needs of an intensively used public building and limits the maintenance of the interior.

The exterior of MUMUTH turns opaque by day

Iwan Baan

The spiral construction creates a column free space troughout the whole building

Christian Richters

At night, the theatre lights up and opens itself up to its surroundings and attracting visitors to the theatre.

Iwan Baan

The red carpet staircase follows the curves of the concrete spiral and gives a theatrical feeling to the Christian Richters performance theatre.

The spiral connects the different spaces within the building.

Iwan Baan

The custom designed acoustic panels were especially developed to meet the specific acoustical requirements of the music programme Iwan Baan

Floorplan of 2nd floor: Foyer and performance theatre

UNStudio

Floor plan of ground floor: Entrance lobby and multiple classrooms, dressing- and rehearsal rooms

UNstudio