Musical Binckcross

Abstract

The thesis studio concerns music making as a public event and how one can engage architecture with performing arts as an important part of civic life and urban milieu. The brief is to design a music complex in Binckhorst, a former industrial site on the outskirts of Den Haag.
Following the problematization of the architectural type and the built environment, a perceptual approach has been proposed to challenge the static image of present-day concert halls and the stereotype of Binckhorst as a mere transitory zone. Built upon empiricist theories, the project acknowledges the role of sensation in shaping our spatial experiences and works with one's movement in space to bring about variations in the perception of both architecture and the urban setting.
The result is a a series of processional sequences stretching across two perpendicular axes in close proximity to a major trunk road. They serve to defrost the rectilinear volumes that house musical performances, augment and restructure the sensorial anchors in the vincinity in order to renew visitors' impression of the monotonous streetscape. The change in atmospheres along the promenade is not only a visual construct but also defined by the aural qualities of the building ground.