These façades change continuously each day, each hour shows a new “face” - the façade is turning into a dynamic sculpture.In a city where good architecture is practically de rigueur, Graz still manages to surprise and inspire with the strength and sheer variety of its built environment.
Thus it is possible to realise these new transparent façades and yet still maintain a cosy atmosphere in the rooms. Of course they can also be controlled by optimising programs if users are not present in the rooms behind. At the same time, individual requirements escalate and need to be reconciled with the desire for comfort.įor this reason we have been working for some time with dynamic façades that can be adapted individually to changing conditions and needs. Today it is possible that the complete exterior façade is transparent, and this very transparency indicates a modern character. With the introduction of window strips, these hierarchies were abandoned. how many for a director or high-ranking counsellor and how many for a mere civil servant. Not long ago office buildings had a clear structure and the number of axes was predetermined - e.g. The structure of the façade also determined the ground plan the greater the number of window axes in a room, the more important the function of the user. They often featured surface relief with architectural elements from the relevant period or style. In earlier times, façades were characterised by window arrangements and axes. Seats are arranged in seven zones of different sizes, which allows the seating to be rearranged depending on the event that is taking place. The ceiling’s complex geometry diffuses sound to the whole audience and creates an enveloping atmosphere. The interior is lined with timber slats and variable density insulation to achieve appropriate acoustics for both cinema and classical music performances. The auditorium placed within the external shell of the building is designed to perform both as a concert hall and a cinema. Towards the end of the day, artificial lights positioned on the sides of the oculus progressively compensate for the lowering light levels, before fully replacing the natural light once it is dark. The internal shell, make of concrete and glass, regulates the temperature and ventilation within the building.Įgg-shaped perforations allow natural light to enter the building from above, creating a dappled effect on the foyer floor and the auditorium walls.
The external shell acts as a canopy, protecting the lobby and the auditorium from the sun. The cladding structure consists of a double concrete shell. To create a final design for the building’s external envelope, Serero Architects created a computer script with which to study various branching tree patterns. By responding to the rhythm of the trees, the building becomes part of the landscape rather than an isolated object within it. This creates a canopy over the concrete auditorium, which the practice describes as a “pebble” put under “foliage”. The auditorium is set in parkland and the irregular appearance of the roof takes its form from the silhouettes of the surrounding sycamores, acacias, oaks and poplars. The efficiency of those structures is based on notions of redundancy and differentiation in opposition to the concepts of modern engineering such as optimisation and repetition,” he adds.
“They are complex structures elaborated from simple rules, growing coherently and continuously in time and space. “Trees are often a source of inspiration to me,” says David Serero, founder of French practice Serero Architects. The canopy of the Auditorium et Salle Video Transmission Haute Resolution, which is due to start on site this autumn, was inspired by the trees that surround it.