Music School and Concert Hall, Ventspils / Latvia

2014 – 2019

Music in its many different forms has an essential role in Latvian culture, lending communities distinct identities.The new music school in the Baltic city of Ventspils provides the region with a much needed centre of excellence and a focal point for the teaching and performance of music.

The music school is prominently located on the main public square, Lielais laukums. The plaza, gardens, water feature and sculpture are conceived as part of the wide reaching transformation of the city centre. This new urban landscape provides a fitting backdrop to the striking forms of the building and enriches the visitor experience.

The distinctive roof shelters different spaces, both indoor and out, from the extremes of the weather and lends the building an immediately recognizable landmark appearance. The music school offers a range of performance spaces accessible to the public, with a classical concert hall (seating 600), complimented by a smaller „black-box“ theatre, a music library and an outdoor stage and amphitheater. Diverse backstage facilities are housed over 3 floors surrounding the concert hall stage.

All interiors spaces are developed according to the highest acoustic standards with isolation permitting the undisturbed staging of parallel events in the 2 halls. The building's interiors are distinguished by the contrast between the simple rectilinear form of the concert hall and the informal arrangement of the surrounding foyers which open out onto Lielais laukums, in the form of terraces and balconies. The foyers are flanked by the cafeteria, music library, green room, recording studio and extensive teaching facilities.

A distinguishing feature of the concert hall is the striking pipe organ, designed in collaboration with Orgelbau Klais. An innovative energy concept combines earth channels, decentralized ventilation units and extensive heat recovery with a high performance envelope to dramatically reduce operational costs. The building can, dependent upon the season, be naturally ventilated. A large skylight allows the concert hall to be naturally lit.

The opening of the concert hall was celebrated by a series of concerts in Summer 2019. The inaugural concert performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, Latvian State Choir with Raimund Pauls and Iveta Apkalna was broadcast live in national radio / television.

Pipe Organ Project

The concept for this pipe organ has been developed through a close cooperation between world reknowned Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna and the leading organ builders, Orgelbau Klais, Bonn, Germany.

The concept is based on a further development of the German baroque basics which enables a broad music-making tradition without placing too many limits in one particular direction. Befitting this educational institution the instrument to provide for a broad spectrum of organ literature allowing the possibility to present music of different cultures and different times, and importantly the ability to perform contemporary music.

Introduction

Due to the vigorous musical tradition in Latvia, the strong organ heritage and the unfortunate interruption due to the political history of the Baltic States the Ventspils Organ presents a rare opportunity for re-entry into the rich organ tradition and for a new focalpoint in teaching practice in Latvia.

Fulfilling all these anticipations is a highly sophisticated task. Thus the developmentof a musical and artistic concept went much deeper into detail, incorporatingdiscussions with musicians and consultants rarely held in the initial stages of sucha project.

The main challenge in designing such an instrument is to create a versatile and colourful instrument with a strong personality, which, with its music, not only reaches the ears of the audience but also their hearts.

The concept, although deeply rooted in the century-long tradition of organ building, is recognizably contemporary. This is reflected in the visual appearance of the new instrument with its prospect stretching across the entire front of the concert hall. The striking visual appearance, a dynamic mixture of speaking and non-speaking pipes, has been developed in a collaboration between Orgelbau Klais and haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 in order to ensure a rapport with the architecture in terms of appearance and detail.

Artistic Concept

The Organ is a straight two-manual instrument with Hauptwerk (Great), Schwellwerk (Swell) and Pedals. This core is enriched by a number of extended ranks which provide a wide range of colors and sounds. The idea includes the rare possibility to build sounds not only by choosing 'ready made sounds' i.e. stops at unison or octave pitch, but also by combining different available harmonics making this instrument singular among most of recent concert hall instruments all over the world.

Short Facts
Client
City of Ventspils / Latvia
Planing Team
Architect haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050

Local Partner Architect
Studio MSV – Riga / Latvia

Structural Engineer
Schlaich, Bergermann & Partner – Stuttgart / Germany
SIA BKB – Riga / Latvia

Acoustician
 Müller BBM – Munich / Germany

Organ Designer / Builder
 Johannes Klais Orgelbau – Bonn / Germany

Organ Consultant
 Iveta Apkalna – Berlin / Germany & Riga / Latvia

Climate / Energy / Mechanical Services
 Transsolar Klimaengineering – Stuttgart / Germany
SIA Friteks – Riga / Latvia 

Energy Consultant / Building Physics
 SIA Arche – Riga / Latvia

Electrical Engineering
 SIA FIMA / SIA KELLME – Riga / Latvia

Architectural Lighting
 LDE Belzner Holmes – Stuttgart / Germany

Stage Engineering
 DTP Theaterbühnentechnik – Dresden / Germany

Stage Lighting / Sound 
SIA Audio AE – Riga / Latvia

Fire Engineering
 SIA Glamma – Riga / Latvia 

Water / Drainage Engineering SIA IP – Ventspils / Latvia

Cost Consultant
 SIA Northproject – Riga / Latvia

Photography
 Adam Mork - Copenhagen / Denmark
Oskars Jura, STUDIO 555 - Ventspils / Latvia
Planning Schedule
Competition 2005
Revised Scheme Design / 2014 – 2015
Technical Project / 2015
Construction Time / 2016 – 2019
Completion / Spring 2019
Opening Concerts / Summer 2019 (as part of celebrations marking the centenary of Latvian independence)
Opening Music School / Autumn 2019
Area
Gross Floor Area (GFA) ca. 8,000 m2 BGF

Volume
 ca. 32,000 m2 BGF

Levels
 Above ground - 3

Capacity 
Concert Hall - 600 Seats
Black-Box Theatre - 150 Seats
Outdoor Amphitheater - ca. 1000 Seats

"high-tech from nature“

Wool, Fired Earth and Stone
The distinctive fabric used for the audience seating, together with curtains and upholstery throughout the building, is the result of a collaboration between haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 and Rohi Stoffe GmbH. The bespoke fabric with a great colour range provides a contrast to the subdued colours and timbers of the building interiors.
Rohi is famed for its innovative use of wool, showcasing the properties this natural material has to offer through a range of finishing techniques.

Team

David Cook

Partner Freier Architekt, BA (hons), Dip. Arch (dist), RIBA, BDA

Als Projektpartner bei Behnisch Architekten war David Cook von 1995-2005 verantwortlich für das Harbourside Center (Konzert- und Tanztheater) in Bristol, Großbritannien, das Dänische Nationalarchiv (NPAC) in Kopenhagen, Dänemark, sowie für das Terrence Donnelly Center für zelluläre und biomolekulare Forschung (TDDCBR) an der Universität von Toronto, Kanada. Als Partner bei Behnisch Architekten zwischen 2005-2012 war David Cook verantwortlich für die Hilde-Domin-Schule in Herrenberg, das Nationalzentrum für Tumorerkrankungen (NCT) in Heidelberg, die Schwetzinger-Terrasse-Kindertagesstätte in Heidelberg, sowie für das Gebäude des Hauptsitzes King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh, Saudi-Arabien. Er hat an einer Vielzahl von Campus- / Masterplaning-Projekten gearbeitet, darunter UC Dublin, Irland und der Sanierung des Lower Don in Toronto, Kanada. David Cook war auch Co-Kurator der sehr erfolgreichen Wanderausstellung "Ökologie, Design, Synergie" durch Deutschland.


Nach 6 Jahren der Partnerschaft gründet Cook, zusammen mit Martin Haas und Stephan Zemmrich, im April 2012 sein eigenes Büro haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 mit Projekten im In- und Ausland.


David Cook war Belluschi-Gastprofessor für Architektur an der Universität von Oregon, USA. Er pflegt weiterhin eine enge Beziehung zu der Universität und kehrt regelmäßig für Gastvorträge an die Universität zurück.

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Cuore:NINO

Cuore:NINO

Campus HafenCity

Campus HafenCity

Nestbau⁴

Nestbau⁴

VielArten

VielArten

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 are awarded the contract for the VielArten building community project in Tübingen
Rammed earth residential house in Heilbronn, Germany

Rammed earth residential house in Heilbronn, Germany

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 are planing a rammed earth residential house at the Neckarbogen in Heilbronn, Germany.
Smart Mobility Hub

Smart Mobility Hub

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 gewinnen 1. Preis beim Wettbewerb "Smart Mobility Hub“ in Stuttgart
Elementary School and Kindergarden in Bremen

Elementary School and Kindergarden in Bremen

First place for haascookzemmrich STUDIO 2050
Berliner Platz

Berliner Platz

First place for haascookzemmrich STUDIO 2050
Spring Park Valley Hotel

Spring Park Valley Hotel

Haascookzemmrich Studio2050 is tasked with a hotelproject made of rammed earth in Bad Vilbel near Frankfurt including 250 guest rooms.
Health resort Schliersee

Health resort Schliersee

Health resort at Schliersee by haas cook zemmrich STUDIO2050

David Correa

Projects

Xiang'on - "Valley of Light"

Xiang'on - "Valley of Light"

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 will be completing the planning and construction of the Concert Hall and Music School in Ventspils. Construction started in Fall 2016. The opening is scheduled for 2019 in celebration of Latvia's 100th anniversary.
Guggenheim

Guggenheim

Eine elfköpfige Jury hat unter 1715 eingereichten Entwürfen aus 77 Nationen sechs Finalisten ausgewählt. Als einziges deutsches Büro war haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 mit dabei!
Experimenta  Heilbronn, Germany

Experimenta Heilbronn, Germany

Visitors are greeted with a welcoming gesture. The building opens to all sides, embracing the outdoor space as an integral part of the distinctly exploratory architecture. The extension of the Experimenta floats above the forecourt, before the view of the visitor opens into a fantastic, multi-storey foyer. The cocoon-like forms of the TALENT INCUBATORS emerge as over-sized sculptures through the roof. Weaving between them is the orange space-time spiral, leading into the courtyard of the special exhibition, before diving underneath the forecourt and into the existing building.

Dino Chai

Projects

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 will be completing the planning and construction of the Concert Hall and Music School in Ventspils. Construction started in Fall 2016. The opening is scheduled for 2019 in celebration of Latvia's 100th anniversary.

Erik Martinez

Projects

Enercity

Enercity

The new corporate headquarters of Enercity in Hanover, designed by haas cook zemmrich STUDIO2050, has been opened.
Regional Music School and Concert Hall

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 will be completing the planning and construction of the Concert Hall and Music School in Ventspils. Construction started in Fall 2016. The opening is scheduled for 2019 in celebration of Latvia's 100th anniversary.
Holstenareal

Holstenareal

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 won the 3rd prize in the international competition for the conversion of the former Holsten Area in the city of Hamburg - Altona.
Hofgut Oberfeld

Hofgut Oberfeld

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 entwickeln ein Erweiterungs- und Sanierungskonzept für den alten Kuhstall auf dem Hofgut Oberfeld in Darmstadt
House of Film and Media, Stuttgart

House of Film and Media, Stuttgart

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 are developing together with the Association for Film and Media a new House of Film and Media in Stuttgart.

Eva Engele

Projects

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 will be completing the planning and construction of the Concert Hall and Music School in Ventspils. Construction started in Fall 2016. The opening is scheduled for 2019 in celebration of Latvia's 100th anniversary.
Alnatura Campus

Alnatura Campus

Open, simple, sustainable, and people-orientated describes the newly constructed building of Alnatura Working Environment.

Felix Beck

Projects

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 will be completing the planning and construction of the Concert Hall and Music School in Ventspils. Construction started in Fall 2016. The opening is scheduled for 2019 in celebration of Latvia's 100th anniversary.
Guggenheim

Guggenheim

Eine elfköpfige Jury hat unter 1715 eingereichten Entwürfen aus 77 Nationen sechs Finalisten ausgewählt. Als einziges deutsches Büro war haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 mit dabei!
Fragrant Hill, Beijing, China

Fragrant Hill, Beijing, China

At the foot of the Fragrant Hills in north-eastern Beijing haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 has developed plans for a new residential district. In addition to the 120,000 sqm of residential floor space the development includes the highly distinctive „House of Sustainability“ which will house a permanent exhibition, showcasing methods of sustainable construction. Fragrant Hills is intended as a unique project for Beijing and will serve as a critical reference for the use of renewable resources and showcasing methods of building with regenerative materials.

Hanxiao Liu

Han hat an der University of British Columbia in Vancouver (Canada) mit Major in Mechanical Engineering studiert. Sein Master in Architecture und dem Certificate in Landscape Studies hat er an der University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (USA) erworben. Während und nach seinem Studium war Han in mehreren Büros in Canada, den USA und China tätig. Unter anderem arbeitete er bei Environmental Control and Safety Engineering in Burnaby, Canada, MCW Consultants (Vancouver), ABB Robotics Division (Shanghai), sowie SOM in New York, USA. Han hat den angesehenen Arthur Spayed Brooke Memorial Award erworben.

Seit 2012 arbeitet Han als Architekt und Projektleiter für haascookzemmrichSTUDIO2050. Zu seinem bisherigen Tätigkeiten zählt die Mitarbeit an Wettbewerben (u.a. Guggenheim Museum in Helsinki, Deutsches Pavilion für die Expo in Mailand, Italien, Mercedes-Benz Campus in Stuttgart, sowie Smichov Residential Area in Prag) und an folgenden Projekten: Fragrant Hill Residences in Beijing, China; Global Geometry Office, Hamburg; Musikschule und Konzertsaal in Ventspils, Lettland, sowie TenON 5 Stadtquartier in Mannheim.

Seit 2017 ist Han für unsere Niederlassung in Shanghai verantwortlich.

Projects

Xiang'on - "Valley of Light"

Xiang'on - "Valley of Light"

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 will be completing the planning and construction of the Concert Hall and Music School in Ventspils. Construction started in Fall 2016. The opening is scheduled for 2019 in celebration of Latvia's 100th anniversary.
Mercedes Benz Cultural Center

Mercedes Benz Cultural Center

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 won 3rd prize for the Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center in Bejing, China
Guggenheim

Guggenheim

Eine elfköpfige Jury hat unter 1715 eingereichten Entwürfen aus 77 Nationen sechs Finalisten ausgewählt. Als einziges deutsches Büro war haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 mit dabei!
Fragrant Hill, Beijing, China

Fragrant Hill, Beijing, China

At the foot of the Fragrant Hills in north-eastern Beijing haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 has developed plans for a new residential district. In addition to the 120,000 sqm of residential floor space the development includes the highly distinctive „House of Sustainability“ which will house a permanent exhibition, showcasing methods of sustainable construction. Fragrant Hills is intended as a unique project for Beijing and will serve as a critical reference for the use of renewable resources and showcasing methods of building with regenerative materials.
Mercedes-Benz Campus

Mercedes-Benz Campus

The Mercedes-Benz Campus is intended as the crowning element of Stuttgart’s Neckarpark. “High Tech – High Nature”. What better symbolizes a worthwhile future? The lake in the centre of the campus serves as an energy engine; its role is to help in making aspects of renewable energy understandable. With the "Wave" and other public activities, the visitor himself is encouraged to be part of the spectacle. We have the responsibility for shaping our future ourselves! Both the Campus and the Future Center therefore do not focus on objects, but on people; their movement, their behaviour and their ambitions, people undertaking research, experimenting and sharing their experience in striving to develop a better future.
Holstenhof – Geometry Global

Holstenhof – Geometry Global

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TENon5

TENon5

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 has prevailed in an international design competition with 29 competing teams. The competition included a community participation process. "The design proposal is convincing in terms of urban planning with 10 clearly legible parcels occupied by highly individual buildings offering a wide range of residential opportunities.

Michael Kapeller

Projects

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 will be completing the planning and construction of the Concert Hall and Music School in Ventspils. Construction started in Fall 2016. The opening is scheduled for 2019 in celebration of Latvia's 100th anniversary.
Rheinschloss Residential Tower

Rheinschloss Residential Tower

The new Rhine Castle has a prominent position at the entrance to the city of Waldshut directly above the river Rhine. The building will become a new landmark for Waldshut on the basis of its exposed location. Part of the required area is carefully arranged along the scenic hillside in order to integrate the utmost elegant and slim residential tower into the city silhouette.
Fragrant Hill, Beijing, China

Fragrant Hill, Beijing, China

At the foot of the Fragrant Hills in north-eastern Beijing haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 has developed plans for a new residential district. In addition to the 120,000 sqm of residential floor space the development includes the highly distinctive „House of Sustainability“ which will house a permanent exhibition, showcasing methods of sustainable construction. Fragrant Hills is intended as a unique project for Beijing and will serve as a critical reference for the use of renewable resources and showcasing methods of building with regenerative materials.

Paul Lipan-Weber

Projects

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 will be completing the planning and construction of the Concert Hall and Music School in Ventspils. Construction started in Fall 2016. The opening is scheduled for 2019 in celebration of Latvia's 100th anniversary.
Rheinschloss Residential Tower

Rheinschloss Residential Tower

The new Rhine Castle has a prominent position at the entrance to the city of Waldshut directly above the river Rhine. The building will become a new landmark for Waldshut on the basis of its exposed location. Part of the required area is carefully arranged along the scenic hillside in order to integrate the utmost elegant and slim residential tower into the city silhouette.
Fragrant Hill, Beijing, China

Fragrant Hill, Beijing, China

At the foot of the Fragrant Hills in north-eastern Beijing haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 has developed plans for a new residential district. In addition to the 120,000 sqm of residential floor space the development includes the highly distinctive „House of Sustainability“ which will house a permanent exhibition, showcasing methods of sustainable construction. Fragrant Hills is intended as a unique project for Beijing and will serve as a critical reference for the use of renewable resources and showcasing methods of building with regenerative materials.

Sabine Vecvagare

Projects

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

Regional Music School and Concert Hall

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 will be completing the planning and construction of the Concert Hall and Music School in Ventspils. Construction started in Fall 2016. The opening is scheduled for 2019 in celebration of Latvia's 100th anniversary.
House of Life

House of Life

haascookzemmrich STUDIO2050 has been awarded 2nd prize in the architectural competition for "House of Life“ in Hamburg / Germany
Auszeichnungen
  • 1. Preis Nachhaltigkeit in der Architektur, Konstruktion und Design in Lettland
  • 1. Preis Öffentliche Bauten der Bauindustrie "Gada Büve"
  • International Architecture Awards 2022
  • 2020
    World Design Awards