O f f i c e f o r M e t r o p o l i t a n A r c h i t e c t u r e
HEER BOKELWEG 149 NL3032 AD ROTTERDAM TEL +31-10-2438202 E-Mail PR@OMA.nl
To: Architecture and Arts Department 6 June 1999
PRESS RELEASE
OMA DESIGNS CASA DA MUSICA IN PORTO
The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) from Rotterdam was chosen to design the new Porto concert hall, the Casa da Música. The Portuguese jury announced OMA’s design proposal as the winning scheme.
The competition went on between the French Architect Dominique Perrault, the American Architect Rafael Viñoly and OMA whose principal is Rem Koolhaas.
The project is part of the planning for 2001, the year that Porto together with Rotterdam will be cultural capital of Europe. In a way the Casa da Música will be a joint-venture between the two cultural cities.
The concert hall will be realized at Rotunda da Boavista, a square just outside the historical centre, in an expressive, rock like form.
The design contains two concert halls, a restaurant, a music shop, a café, a roof terrace and educational and cybermusic facilities.
The large auditorium will have a capacity of 1500 seats, some of them in boxes. The walls in front and back will be made entirely out of glass, which opens the hall towards the city. The small auditorium with 350 seats opens in the same way towards the city. The two spaces are separated by a glass wall only.
Ove Arup & Partners / Cecil Balmond will be the structural Engineers for this project, the acoustics are in hands of TNO / Renz van Luxemburg.
This is the second major project for OMA in short time, on May 26 the office got the commission to build the new Seattle Public Library.
For more information call OMA, Jan Knikker +31 10 24 38 200. There are two images available.
portohall1.jpg (size=234 k)
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portohall2.jpg (size=293 k)
7 July 1999
