A feast for the ears on the inside - the city's hustle and bustle on the outside

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1 Press information Iphofen, 16/05/2014 Knauf Presse Aalborg.doc New construction of the music and concert centre in Aalborg A feast for the ears on the inside - the city's hustle and bustle on the outside Based on the constructional drawings by Coop Himmelb(l)au, the new House of Music was created as part of the restructuring of the Aalborg East Harbour area. Besides many classrooms and rehearsal rooms for the promotion of music, the concert hall, which has been acoustically planned to the last detail, clearly stands out. In compliance with the specifications provided by the acousticians of the New York based consultancy Artec, Knauf Design gypsum fibre boards were used to optimise the visual as well as the auditory experience. Aalborg is on its way to step out of the shadow cast by the capital Copenhagen. By redesigning the Limfjord waterside, Denmark's fourth-largest city is smartening up on a cultural level as well. One component of the master plan devised by Coop Himmelb(l)au for the area of the fluvial fjord is the House of Music or Musikkens Hus in Danish. This imposing building, which is also the brainchild of Coop Himmelb(l)au, is the distinctive landmark of the eastern edge of the culture square that has been developed here. Flanked by converted warehouses and the Nordkraft power plant, which has been transformed into the cultural centre, it has become a new hot spot in Aalborg. It is not easy to appreciate the building in its entirety at a first, cursory glance. Instead of creating a clear, geometrical body that combines all functions, the architects surrounding Wolf D. Prix disengaged themselves from this notion and created several volumes providing a space for their respective function. At the heart of this building is a concert hall that is surrounded by a U-shaped building. The hall with its 1,300 seats provides a stage for the presentation of music, the 1

2 2 2 rooms surrounding it have been designed with music education in mind. The students of both the University of Aalborg and the music school are taught in these modern practice rooms. Like the concert hall, they are also used by the members of the city's philharmonic orchestra. Clear separation with connecting elements The planners positioned the foyer in front of the concert hall and as an opening element to the square. It is a place for discoveries and meetings and as such serves as the hub for the rooms behind, the hall as well as for the three halls underneath the foyer. These are different in size and are venues that can be hired for music presentation as well. Especially the foyer shows the design idea behind the Musikkens Hus. All areas are organised and arranged so that all functions can run autarchically and side by side, while running at full capacity. When required, however, it is always possible to establish a connection via the foyer, which can almost be attributed to the public space due to its openness. The connectivity also extends to the building to the west. It seems to have grown straight out of the ground and houses the secondary rooms required for the concert operation as well as a café. Incidentally, the different functions do not only become evident from the arrangement of the elements of the building, they also become evident from their façades. The façade of the U-shaped building with the classrooms and practice rooms consists of precast concrete components, while the foyer and the concert hall are clad in a skin of metallic façade boards, which are complemented with a lot of glass, as is the case with the part of the structure housing the secondary rooms and café. Great importance attached to acoustics On the inside, attention was mainly paid to acoustics, besides a elegant yet functional design. This comes as no surprise in a house of music. All classrooms and practice rooms, for example, as well as the smaller halls have been equipped with an acoustic ceiling that optimises reverberation times and provides for neutral room acoustics. This is the only way to suitably utilise and train the discriminating ears of teachers and their students. As agreed with the 2 2

3 3 3 architects and the acoustic planners of Artec Consultants Inc. from New York, USA, the skilled workers of TL BYG A/S from Aalborg, the company responsible for carrying out the work, used the new acoustic boards from Knauf Danoline's Unity 6 System. Unlike comparable products, these boards have got a high sound absorption degree and therefore require only a shallow installation depth. This reduces the clear height of the room only marginally, a fact that is also important for the acoustic properties, besides the absorption degree. The uniform perforation as well as the laying rebate of the boards makes the installation easier and creates a clean and consistent pattern. Since the gypsum acoustic boards are very versatile and comply with the fire protection regulations for public spaces, they were also used in public areas in this project in Aalborg, such as for staircases and corridors. Outward quietness, inward sound experience While the practice rooms and classrooms pose a rather standard challenge for the acousticians, the story is quite a different one when it comes to the concert hall. The idea of an autarchic functionality of the individual areas and the possibility to be able to run various events as well as classes at the same time resulted in clear guidelines. The concert hall had to be designed and executed in such a way that it provided the stage for a sophisticated sound experience satisfying even the highest demands, while virtually nothing could be heard from the outside. After extensive planning on the basis of the requirement specification, the planners opted for a solution with gypsum fibre boards by Knauf Design. In close cooperation with Knauf Design, a convincing as well as visually appealing solution was created. Following the principle of the mass-spring system, the wall of the concert hall was constructed so that there is no sound transmission via the components to the outside. A furring was attached directly to the massive outside wall of the hall; the inside-facing side was completed with a sheet metal covering. The skilled workers of TL BYG A/S filled the gap that was generated that way with sand. Four layers of CREANOVApanels with an own weight of approximately 50 kg/m² were then installed on the sheet metal covering. The first two layers consisted of 12.5 mm strong, smooth gypsum plasterboards. On that, there is a layer with milled-out grooves in the shape of 3 3

4 4 4 different amoebas. On the fourth layer, these grooves are completed with precisely calculated amoeba details, which were placed in compliance with the acoustic specifications. This uniquely structured surface allows for sufficiently diffuse sound reflection and consequently improves the room acoustics. Just as impressive as the performance of this acoustic variable control and its design are the figures: After all there are 169 different amoeba versions in three different thicknesses (12/18/25 mm). This results in 507 different shapes. Approximately 170,000 amoeba were stuck on, so that the number of organic recesses and elevations adds up to more than 300,000. The gypsum fibre boards could demonstrate their strengths not only in terms of acoustics but also with regard to the optical design. They are available in different patterns and can be adapted to the respective design. In the Aalborg concert hall they were varnished white so that they compliment the colour composition of the red seat covers, the dark ceiling as well as the white balconies for the spectators. Numerous detailed solutions Implementing the numerous detailed solutions on the basis of the requirements and the geometry of the hall required close cooperation between the planners and Knauf Design: Especially coordinating the entire logistics of the more than 170,000 component parts for the CREANOVApanels wall was a major challenge. Apart from that, however, there were also structural problems that needed solving. Since the wall of the concert hall meanders, only gypsum fibre boards with a size of not more than 1.20 m by 1.20 m could be used. This was furthermore the reason for constructing the interior wall from four layers. That way the skilled workers could realise the tight radii of between 1.20 m and 5.00 m. All in all, approximately 2,200 m² of interior panelling were realised in this manner. The use of Knauf Design gypsum fibre boards and the associated solution shows that the technical planners and the architects knew exactly what is important for the new construction of the Musikkens Hus. The superb product properties of the CREANOVApanels for the acoustics were only one aspect. The excellent fire protection with A1 certification of the gypsum fibre board also militated in favour of using them in a hall seating up to 1,300 people. However, 4 4

5 5 5 not only the concert hall seems well thought-out. The structure of the building, the idea of the autarchic individual areas that can be linked as well as the highquality materials show that the aim was to achieve something more sophisticated than just average. Especially the outstanding and already widely praised concert hall takes centre stage, and not just because of its location. Construction site sign Project: New construction of a music and concert centre in Aalborg, Denmark Principal: North Jutland House of Music Foundation, Aalborg, Denmark Architect/planner: coop Himmelb(l)au, Vienna Acoustic planning: Artec Consultants Inc., New York, USA Execution: TL BYG A/S, Rasmus Larsen, Gartnervej 9, 9200 Aalborg SV, Denmark Specialist counselling: Erik Ipsen, Knauf Danoline; Martin Hautum, Knauf riessler GmbH & Co. KG Knauf Gips KG ( Knauf Gips KG, a subsidiary of the Knauf Group, specialises in systems for drywall construction and flooring, plaster and façades. Knauf drywall construction systems are synonymous for high-performance sound and thermal insulation as well as fire protection for floors, walls, and ceilings. When it comes to floors, Knauf self-levelling floor screeds make for speedy progress on building sites. Knauf plasters include classic brands such as Rotband, MP75, SM700 or Rotkalk. The thermal insulation composite systems WARM WALL on the façade stand for energy-efficient design. Knauf Group ( All over the world, Knauf building systems make planning and building easier, offer complete solutions and quality assurance. On the German market, Knauf is represented by the companies Knauf AMF (ceiling systems), Knauf Aquapanel (cement boards, interior insulation, Perlite), Knauf Bauprodukte (professional solutions for your home), Knauf Dämmstoffe (polystyrene and rigid foam insulating materials), Knauf Gips (drywall construction, floors, plaster and façade systems), Knauf Insulation (rock wool, glass wool, and wood wool insulating materials), Knauf Integral (gypsum fibre technology for floors, walls, and ceilings), Knauf PFT (machine technology, plant construction), Knauf Design (surface technology), Marbos (special building materials for bonded pavement construction), Richter System (drywall construction systems) and Sakret Bausysteme (dry mortar for new buildings and refurbishment). 5 5

6 6 6 The concert hall in all its glory. Thanks to CREANOVApanels, it boasts excellent acoustics inside and is insulated towards the outside. (Photo: Knauf) The south elevation of the House of Music. You can see the U-shaped building for the classrooms and practice rooms. (Photo: Knauf) The varnished surface of the meandering interior wall in the concert hall. The exciting change between smooth surfaces and projecting segments with the unique amoeba structure are characteristic for the design of the space. (Photo: Knauf) The organically shaped amoeba provide diffuse sound reflection, which was calculated in advance, and thus improve the acoustics. (Photo: Knauf) 6 6

7 7 7 The recesses and elevations add up to more than 300,000 amoebas on the wall surfaces. 170,000 of these organically shaped gypsum plasterboard pieces were stuck on. (Photo: Knauf) The finished wall gives the concert hall an exciting structure. The white surface with its alternating light and shade is a perfect contrast to the red seats. (Photo: Knauf) View of the wall structure. Here, the first two layers of Knauf Design gypsum fibre boards have been already attached to the substructure. (Photo: Knauf) In order to prevent the surfaces from being damaged during the construction period, they were only varnished white after completion. (Photo: Knauf) 7 7

8 8 8 The classrooms and rehearsal rooms were optimised using Unity 6 System acoustic boards by Knauf Danoline. (Photo: Knauf) 8 8