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| 6 - The Importance of Place | |||
| Expression of place through architecture | |||
| Berlin
Philharmonic Hall 1956 - 1963 (H. Scharoun, arch) At the time of design, Berlin was a divided city, and the building site was located as close as possible to what would have been the centre of a unified Berlin. The choice of is significant in terms of place as it represents a deep-felt aspiration of the society for re-unification of their war-torn country. This aspiration helps explain the masterplan of the site (fig 36) in what could otherwise be argued to a poor urbanistic solution – i.e., a cultural complex that is set as an island amidst a sea of major roads. This is reflected in the exterior form of the building (fig 30) in what is arguably a poor urban form – i.e, does not acknowledge or respond to the built/remembered context of Berlin. What is particularly striking to me about this building is the conception of the music hall (figs 34, 40). There is a synthesis of man and music that ones feels viscerally when in the hall. In plan and section (figs 35, 38) one can clearly see that the music is the psychological centre of the hall. The arrangement of the seats envelopes this centre on all sides, and cascades up from the podium. From the podium, one could walk, within the confines of the hall, to any seat. This is important as it contributes to an intimate connection between musician and audience. The cascading and tilting of the seating rows is done to avoid the boundaries of separation one normally finds in concert halls between separate tiers of seats. The building creates a micro-cosmos by defining a particular relationship between man and music. If one were to interpret music as symbolising the spiritual side of man, then the building could be viewed as a very successful design that brought the physical and ethereal together in a unified whole. The foyer and entrance (fig 37) is effective in reinforcing the conceptual strength of the concert hall. The ramps and gangways make a dramatic composition, but more importantly, underscore the separation between the profane world at pavement level to the micro-cosmos inside the concert hall. The hall would still be successful without this transition, but the comprehension and appreciation of the hall is significantly improved with this mediation. |
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| Fig 34 - Berlin Philharmonic Hall (BPH); Concert hall interior | Fig 35 - BPH; Cross section | Fig 36 - BPH; Site plan | Fig 37- BPH; Foyer |
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| Fig 38- BPH; Plan | Fig 39 - BPH; Exterior | Fig 40 - BPH; Concert hall | |
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