Ventspils Music School and Concert Hall, Latvia

Object Type
Concert Halls
Music Schools

Client
City of Ventspils, Latvia

Architect
haascookzemmrich Studio 2050, Stuttgart

Completion
2019

Expertises
Building Acoustics
Room Acoustics

The new musical complex at Lielais Laukums has already become Ventspils‘ landmark. The folded roofscape and the inventively sculptured fountain form its characteristic identity. In addition to the traditional concert hall seating an audience of 600, the music school houses – on a total of three floors – a music library, numerous rehearsal rooms as well as a multi-purpose hall for orchestra rehearsals and big band concerts. Moreover, with its large door open, the hall serves as an open air stage for the adjoining open air venue.

The concert hall is equally suited for soloist and organ concerts as well as for works for large orchestras. The design of the tiered seating, resembling a logarithmic spiral, is ideal and was also optimized in terms of acoustics. The lower part of the concert hall walls is lined with diffusely sound-reflecting panels, the upper part with acoustically transparent wooden lamella. By means of large variable curtains installed behind the cladding, the concert hall acoustics can perfectly be adjusted to all types of performances, even with electroacoustic amplification. In addition, two internationally unique musical instruments are installed in the concert hall: a pipe organ by the German organ builders Johannes Klais, and the impressive piano “470i“, 4.7 m high, by Latvian piano maker David Klavins. Highly sound-insulating wall and ceiling structures ensure a very high building acoustics standard and also make it possible to use the different venues simultaneously without any disturbances or restrictions.

Image Copyright
1 Raimonds Birkenfelds
2 Raimonds Birkenfelds
3 Raimonds Birkenfelds
4 Raimonds Birkenfelds