The Concave House l The House Of Music

Berlin, the capital of Germany, has been distinguished for decades as a bastion of culture and creativity, with a daring, artistic spirit going hand in hand with a history of rebellion, revolution, and renewal. Berlin attracts musicians and music lovers from around the globe even before the fall of the wall in the desire to tap into a growing sense of defiance within its communities and stand out. Therefore, it is an opportunity to use music as a catalyst to encourage people with different cultures to communicate, aspire, learn, work, and live together, as music is a collective experience that has an incredible ability to unite and bond large groups of people who may not even share a common language.

The House of Music’s main aim is to help develop and revi­talize the Reinickendorf neighborhood in Berlin, which is embedded in the context of a mixed-use area.

Different scales are considered in the House of Music’s design to ensure more accomplishment of its goal. It starts with an urban scale as a preparation of the surroundings to add the House of Music and correct the urban situation of the whole area, Followed by a smaller scale, which includes the design of the House Of Music itself.

• Urban correction.

The urban correction proposal reflected the site’s existing urban fabric with respect to the visual connection that must be preserved and specified by the Berlin Office for the Protection of Historical Monuments.

The strategy is to create two main axes to increase the level of connection and enhance the sense of spatial experience that helps invite people to Tegeler See and activate the whole area.

• Architectural scale.

The question of “How will we live together?” is one of the key issues of this design. Instead of being a standalone building, The House Of Music made more sense as a place resembling home, integrated into its surroundings to make people feel at ease and to entice them to explore and experience the space; it is inspired by the courtyard housing typology, where there are several courtyards to increase the level of connection between functions and increase the sense of spatial experience.

The design of The House of Music deals with the concept of letting the voids take the lead in creating the space, which creates an atmosphere where all views are pulled into the interior of the building. The main focus is on the interior spaces where users live, communicate, and interact, in addition to creating harmonious internal spaces and interaction between nature and architecture.

First, the courtyards were defined, and then the public circulation was defined accordingly. The overall layout resembles a backbone with comparable functions on each side; all rooms are meant to look out towards a courtyard. There are also various communal spaces throughout the floor where people can gather and unwind.

To maintain the physical volume and mass of the design, exposed pre-fabricated recycled concrete is used as the primary interior and exterior building material. Concrete is an ideal material for The House of Music because of its capacity to absorb sound and offer comfort, gentleness, and warmth and enriches the experience and understanding of a place.