Casa da Música
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View from Rotunda da Boavista
Philippe Ruault Download Original
Rem Koolhaas' cast-concrete polygonal concert hall, Porto
Located in a travertine-paved square on the edge of Porto’s Rotunda da Boavista, OMA’s Casa da Musica takes the form of an enormous crystalline concrete block.
The 1,300-seat main auditorium space, home to the National Orchestra of Porto, is conceived as a single rectangular space carved through this solid block. Thick flanking walls carry the weight of the building, with the faceted walls of surrounding spaces cantilevered from it. At either end, large openings frame the city beyond. Double skinned corrugated glazing acts as a sound barrier between the auditorium and its surrounding spaces.
Internally, plywood cladding is embossed in gold with an enlarged wood-grain pattern. This contrasts with the traditionally painted tile cladding of the adjacent VIP bar.
The public route winds around the central auditorium via a series of spaces, stairs and platforms, from the building’s entrance to the rooftop terrace.
Data
- Completed: 2005
- Floor area: 22,539m2
- Sector: Arts and culture
- Total cost: £85M
- Address: Casa da Música, Avenida da Boavista 604-610, Porto, 220 120 200, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: OMA
- Project architect: Rem Koolhaas
- Client: Casa da Música
- Local architect: ANC Architects
- Structural engineer: Arup
- Services engineer: Arup
- Acoustic engineer: Dorsser Blesgraaf
- Scenoraphy: Ducks Sceno
- Auditorium seating: Maarten van Severen
- Furniture: Atelier Daciano da Costa
