House of Music, Budapest // Hungary
15 april
Project: House of Music, Budapest // Hungary
Architect: Sou Fujimoto Architects, Tokyo // Japan
Implementation: Magyar Építo Zrt., Budapest // Hungary
Façade System: Special design
Year of Construction: 2022
Product: ALUCOBOND® PLUS spectra Desert Gold
Photos: György Palkó + Edina Szerencsés-Nagy
Golden tone
Art and nature belong together. Listen carefully and every cornerof the earth reveals its own distinct sound: waves crashing ona rocky Atlantic coast, warm summer rustling in deciduous forests,the whirring hush on the leeward side of an Alpine peak. Thesounds of Budapest and the natural world surrounding the cityhave been transposed by Sou Fujimoto Architects into the BudapestHouse of Music. They have built a glass pavilion, crownedwith an overhanging roof reminiscent of a domed mushroom cap.The structure grows out of the forest floor to take its place naturallyand easily among the trees.The 9,000 m² pavilion offers space for exhibitions, two concerthalls, seminar rooms, a library, two recording studios, a restaurant,a shop and several administrative offices. Its dimensions aredeceptive, and it is hard to tell where the building begins and theforest ends, as two floors are set below ground and one is concealedwithin the roof structure. The foyer and the two concerthalls are bounded by a gently zigzagging glass façade with individualpanes extending twelve meters upwards. This means thatthe naked eye at any rate cannot make out a clear demarcationbetween the cultural spaces and natural world. The roof mergesnot only visually but also structurally with the forest. Its steel constructionis perforated by 100 organically shaped holes and narrowsky-wells: some of the holes have tall trees growing throughand some catch the sunlight. Golden ALUCOBOND® panels cladthe wells, reflecting the forest light into the building. Over 30,000burnished, golden ALUCOBOND® leaves attached to the undersideof the roof, create a magnificent, gleaming firmament thatextends from the open-air stage a long way back into the building,into the foyer and into the concert halls. The honeycomb-shaped,25black steel system where the leaves are mounted disappears behindthem, so they seem to float in a dark void. A wide spiral staircaseleads up through the canopy of foliage to the rooms hiddenabove.Under the canopy of golden leaves and surrounded by the deciduouswoodland which casts light and shadows deep into thebuilding - those who play or listen to music here experience howart and nature, light and shadow harmonise to become a singleheart and soul-warming golden tone.