2005 - competition entry
visans hus
The ‘Västervik kommun’ (town of
The site is located on a small Island Slottsholmen.
The competition brief was to design a Folk Music Centre with concert venue, teaching & studio facilities, library, exhibition space, restaurant, a small ‘starter’ business centre and a small guest harbour.
The scales of the proposed buildings vary either side of the in natural stone clad spine wall- the smaller scale of the entrance and the teaching block addresses the human scale of the island- the larger scale of the performance venue and exhibition block addresses the vastness of the open water to the east.
The plan of the Music Centre has been arranged as open as possible, making the building as open and experiential for all users.
The concert venue has been made into a deliberately abstract nautical shape. A removable external wall would allow the 400 persons capacity to expand to 1200+ persons using external seating.
The restaurant has been positioned central to the plan, close to the entrance whereas the teaching and meeting block are facing west, maximising use of daylight and allowing views over the sea and back to the town.
The library has been positioned on the quieter east side with views through the slot windows over the sea. We have proposed a sea scaped light grid and small guest harbour to allow boats to tie up and watch the performances.
