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Nichtoffener Wettbewerb | 06/2014

Arvo Pärt Centre / Arvo Pärdi Keskuse

Tabula

1. Preis

Preisgeld: 10.000 EUR

Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos

Architektur

Erläuterungstext

Tabula

We admire the purity of the mathematical laws through which Arvo Pärt is capable of generating powerful poetical emotions by means of the simple permutations of a limited number of sounds. Just like those musical structures that reflect one theme in another - a Spiegel im Spiegel, or a never-ending story - we imagine the new building as a geometric pattern, originated in a repeated pentagonal form, which will contain the existing pines in courtyards of variable dimensions. All the large trees may be preserved: not a single pine shall be teared down.

Like a combinatorial composition, the variations of the pentagonal precincts generate spatial sequences that configure the different areas of the program. The interior space is wrapped by two long curved wooden walls that separate the more private areas of the program. The archive and the library are connected to the workshops and to the office rooms on the main ground floor. The auditorium is conceived as a flexible space -a room within a room- for concerts, performances, conferences, and films.The foyer can also be used for exhibitions, and is connected to the shop and cafe in close visual relationship to the exterior landscape.
The Arvo Pärt Centre will not be a hyerarchical building: the center moves from one space to another. It has been conceived as a large single place for concentration and study, in which one can express and exchange ideas, visit an exhibition, go to the cafeteria, read in the library, listen to a performance in the auditorium, or simply stroll out onto the woods.

The materials relate to the warm and intimate character of the entire project. In the interior, walls and ceilings of white oiled pine wood, and continuous paved flooring interact with the natural light filtered through the courtyards. A network of electric, digital, audiovisual, and lighting infrastructures ease access to sockets and connections throughout the building. On the exterior, a single element unifies the architectural proposal: a new roof conceived as a large platform, which rises and folds to adapt to the different interior required heights. This roof landscape - clad in precise mate marine aluminum panels - establishes a dialogue between its geometry and the organic shapes of the surrounding trees.

The façades are conceived as a filter defined by a changing sequence of slender columns, a free architectural representation of Arvo Pärt’s compositions. Some areas will allow larger transparent glass surfaces, whereas others will be more protected, filling the gaps of the filter-like screen. The observation tower is a sculptural ligth structure which takes as a reference a sequence of Arvo Pärt’s Psalms. It has the same pentagonal plan of the courtyards, and is conceived as a helical structure emerging above the trees to allow a distant view toward the sea.

To keep alive and interpret in architectural terms the creative legacy of Arvo Pärt means to find a balance between the intimacy of his musical compositions and the powerful beauty of the Estonian landscape. The radical decision of preserving all the pine trees, generates an unexpected dialogue between the unitary structure of the roof and the playful disposition of the courtyard voids. After all, aren’t void and silence the hidden protagonists of architecture and music?

Enrique Sobejano
Fuensanta Nieto


Location
Laulasmaa, Estonia
Client
International Arvo Pärt Centre Foundation
Architects
Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, S.L.P.
Fuensanta Nieto – Enrique Sobejano

Project Architect
Alfredo Baladrón
Collaborators
Evelina Vasiliauskaite
Paolo Russo
Víctor Mascato
Víctor Esquivel
Juan Carlos Redondo
Models
Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, S.L.P.
Juan de Dios Hernández - Jesús Rey

Beurteilung durch das Preisgericht

The jury found this airy and organic design the most suitable from all of the proposals to represent the aim of the Arvo Pärt Centre and to be worthy of carrying on the the soul of the composer’s music. The gentle and flowing composition of the design creates a dignified yet cheerful context for the activities of the centre. The proposal has a good balance between having a strong identity of its own and serving music by being half-transparent and with a flexible background.

It fits harmoniously into the natural landscape and into the neighbourhood in general. It is a very nice idea to preserve all the trees on the site, fitting the building beautifully into the forest and bringing light and nature deep into the building. However, the question remains as to whether or not the trees will survive this change in their immediate environment, specially in the smaller light wells. Jury believes that even changing the size or the number of the light wells won’t compromise the meaning and elegance of the design.

The placement of the building on the site has been planned well, forming an intuitive welcoming gate in the direction of the most beautiful part of the site. The room layout for the building has been thoroughly planned, and there is much-needed light and openness and a certain feeling of freedom in the space. The archive is the centre of activities, which corresponds to the institution’s aim, which is mainly about archive work, whilst other areas of public activities are well laid out. There are also few concerns in the room layout, in particular the lack of wall space or darkened areas in relation to exhibitions. The jury believes that these challenges are relatively easy to fix for as a result of the flexible space concept, unlike in many designs in this contest.

The final result is a conceptual, fresh and contemporary building with exciting and flexible spaces including one of the best tower solutions in the contest (and connotations to Nordic hero Alvar Aalto).

Challenges in this project will be the multitude of outside facades and the expansive use of glass – on one hand offering plenty of light, but on the other hand questioning efficient tree maintenance and construction price and upkeep. The jury sees the solution of the problem in carefully analysing and modifying the project within a dialogue, taking into account to the needs and possibilities of the centre and the concept of the architect.
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