Revista Todo Arquitectura 37 - Muziekgebouw

his building is all about music. It brings together two well established cultural institutions, het Muziekgebouw (former known as the Ijsbreker) and the BIMhuis, at a new common location -the spectacular head of the Piet Heinkade. The master plan idea has been obtained as well –it was to create an attractor for public life at this newly developed site in Amsterdam, and a landmark facing the fjord IJ.

The high degree of exposure was intensely considered in the architectural concept. The building has five almost equally important facades: two towards the water; one towards the city and the water basin Zouthaven; one towards the neighboring hotel and the suspended plaza, and last but not least the roof; the fifth facade which is highly visible from the adjacent hotel and the enormous cruise ships that harbors the pier from time to time.

The internal structure also played an important part in the design. In order to achieve a truly public building, a 24 hour open flow was designed, regardless of the activities in the BIMhuis or the Muziekgebouw. The building is the culmination of a long public promenade, which is elevated two floors in order to create visual contact to downtown Amsterdam. Via wide staircases, the promenade connects to the pier level and the water, and become the spectacular access route to the interior. Thus it has been possible to keep the democratic idea and the appeal to a broad public.

Transparency is one of the most important aspects of the building. The large glazed front reveals the interior to the surrounding with the opportunity to experience it from different levels, on different platforms, in diverse angels, and in an ever-changing way. As the overall layout gestures towards the IJ, the building still addresses all directions, interacting with the different light, water, weather conditions, and the actual time of day. The play of light, both daylight and electric light, are consciously used to influence the appearance of the building: from the impact of the sun, and large glass facades let in a flood of daylight; filtered, softened and protected by the cantilevered roof. Once inside, the daylight shapes the different building elements. At night time light is given back, turning the building into a lantern, while ingenious electrical light features inside the Muziekgebouw concert hall are able to pulsate according to the rhythm of the music, or simply support the musical atmosphere by changing light and color.

Now, imagine adding music…

The BIMhuis houses a jazzclub. Staying at the terrace at the pier head or sitting inside the BIMhuis, ready for a mellow jazz concert, gazing out of the large bay window, you can enjoy the twilight hour, when Amsterdam switches to electricity. The Bimhuis box reaches out in an inviting gesture towards Zouthaven and the city. It’s supported by two double columns inside the rectangle of the Muziekcentrum and on a V-column resting on the pier. The suspension of the BIM-box provides a canopy for the main entrance below. The concert hall and the BIM café are on the second level, while the back stage area, dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms and the offices are on the first floor.

The Public Hall was design in a way it suggests a variation of spaces; vertical, horizontal, narrow, wide, canyon like, stairs, suspended objects, floating floors… This is where everything begins and ends; where people meet and gather before and after concerts. In urbanistic terms it is a huge covered plaza; in building-terms it is the foyer for BIMhuis, Het Muziekgebouw and The Documentation Centre, but also a multipurpose hall. Therefore, on top of being a Music Centre with focus on musical performances, other artistic and social events find their scene here as well. Transparency is ever present. The glass facades and the roof serves as a shield from the weather conditions; the effect inside is an extension of the outdoor season. The Public Hall is a continuous space starting at the highest level of the wooden covered plinth. The plinth provides a topography connecting all different levels in the building. From an elevated position connected to the hotel, it moves downwards to the front, where it ends below the cantilevered roof. The outdoor space in front signifies the connection to the city and creates a platform for large scale manifestations and for the “Parc Sonore”.

Het Muziekgebouw is the Dutch name of the large concert hall, simply meaning The Music Building. This concert hall replaces the existing institution called the Ijsbreker, situated elsewhere in Amsterdam. It is placed furthermost to the water and appears as a heavy, solid box, cast in concrete with an acoustically right box-in-box construction. The Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ is a fully-equipped concert hall for a classical repertoire which is becoming increasingly broader and more varied. The Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ shows current musical developments in the form of festivals, thematic projects, multimedia concerts and special series, which continually forge links with other eras, styles, cultures and art forms. Apart from the multifunctional main auditorium, with seating for 735 or standing room for 1,500, the institution also comprises a smaller auditorium seating 100, both with foyers and extensive conference and catering facilities. The roof can vary extensively in height in order to tune exact acoustical needs for each concert. The floor of the concert hall is flexible as well; it can vary in height in order to create possibility for flat floor concerts and standard podium set up. The facility spaces for the concert hall (storage, dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, etc.) are located in the plinth.

Documentary centre / offices: The office block contains approx. 1.600 m² net floor space. The users have not yet decided on the location of the different organizations on specific levels. The Documentation centre, however, is located below the office block providing a direct access to the offices of the Donemus and Gaudeamus. The library has a direct access from Public Hall, and a facade towards the suspended plaza between the Muziekgebouw/BIMhuis and the hotel. This location provides a good accessibility for the users of the library. One may access the offices from the Public Hall and directly from the parking garage via lifts. The atmosphere in the offices is intended to be “atelier like”; the layout is flexible (light walls) and can be subdivided into larger or smaller units.

Muziekgebouw / BIMhuis, Amsterdam
Address: Piet Heinkade 1, 1019 BR Amsterdam, NL
Client: Gemeente Amsterdam
Gross floor surface: ca.13.400 m2
Net floor area: 12.000 m2
Gross volume: 87.500 m3
Net volume: 78.000 m3
Building cost (VAT excl., installations incl.): € 40 millions
Building cost (VAT excl., installations excl.): € 25 millions
Award: 1. prize in international competition 1997
Design date: December 1997
Construction start: April 2001
Inauguration: June 2005
Architect: 3XN, Denmark
Project architect: 3XN, Denmark
3XN design team: Kim Herforth Nielsen (principal architect), Palle Holsting (project architect), Rasmus Kristian Holm, Torben Østergaard, Ole Østergaard, Uffe Bay-Schmidt, Flemming Christiansen, Eva Hard, Troels Chresten Højlund, Poul Jørgensen.
Structural engineer: ABT BV, the Netherlands
Engineer HVAC: Royal Haskoning, the Netherlands
Acoustics: Peutz BV, the Netherlands
Contractor: BAM, the Netherlands
Interior architect: 3XN; (BIMhuis: 3XN with Christian Bauma)
Landscape architect: 3XN
Artist: Assisting light artist Steven Scott, Denmark.
Program: Concert hall het Muziekgebouw; concert hall BIMhuis, Public Hall, Documentation Centre and offices.
Photos: Adam Mørk

5 prizes for 3XN in 2006

3XN have been honoured internationally with not less than five international architectural prizes in 2006: An American, an American/British, an Italian and two French prizes.

Latest in Italy , 3XN's Muziekgebouw ( Music Building ) in Amsterdam , the Netherlands , was awarded the international ‘Dedalo Minosse' Special Prize. The prize honours both architect and commissioner, hence the name that refers to one of World history's first commissioner – architect couple; Dedalo who built the labyrinth for King Minosse. Kim Herforth Nielsen, Principal Architect of 3XN, received the prise in the Palladian Olympic Theatre in Vicenza June 30 together with Jan Wolff, director of the Muziekgebouw, and Hans Gerson of Amsterdam City . Among winners you also find Perrault, Botta and Ferrater.

The Music Building also received the ULI Award Europe. The committee chose the Music Building and four other winners, among those the Agbar Tower by Nouvel in Barcelona . The winners were announced during ULI Europe's spring conference, “Place Making: Developing Thriving, Liveable Cities ” in Milan May 23. ULI; Urban Land Institute, is based in US Washington, but it was the London branch that arranged this third European Award event.

At the Biennial of Miami, 3XN's Museum of Liverpool was distinguished by a Silver Medal. The Biennial is created by collaboration between the Pan-American Federation of Architects Associations, the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Florida International University School of Architecture.

Finally, 3XN won the Architectural Review's Future projects Award at the MIPIM fair in Cannes in March. The Nordhavnen Residences were awarded as best residential scheme, while Middelfart Savings Bank's new headquarters was prized as the best office building. Last year at MIPIM, 3XN's ‘City for all ages' in Copenhagen also got the best residential prize.

MIPIM AR Future Projects Award

Full list of the Dedalo Minosse awards winners and mentioned

ULI website

Miami Bienal