Musikzentrum Bochum
The music centre in Bochum, Germany, wraps around and flows through the historic neo-gothic Saint Mary's Church. The centre is now home to the Bochumer Symphoniker as well as to school ensembles.
Information Sheet
New Build Musikzentrum Bochum.
Location Bochum, Germany.
Project Cost 33 million €.
Time Frame Competition: 2012. Start construction: 2013. Opening: October 2016.
Owner City of Bochum, Germany.
Architect(s) Bez + Kock Architekten, Germany www.bez-kock.de
Theatre Planner(s) dUCKS Scéno, France www.ducks.fr
Seat Count Music Centre including a 950-seat concert hall for the Bochumer Symphoniker, a multifunctional hall (200 to 400 capacity) for the Music School and a flexible foyer space in an existing church. Total area: 5 960 m².
Uses Venue for the Bochumer Symphoniker, various ensembles of the music school, guest orchestras, recitals, festivals, etc.
Services Acoustic consulting and theatre planning, in collaboration with Müller-BBM, Germany, and dUCKS Scéno / ITV, France and Germany.
Team Eckhard Kahle, Juan Óscar García Gómez, Thomas Wulfrank, Kahle Acoustics. Eckard Mommertz, Wolfgang Drescher, Müller-BBM. Frans Swarte, dUCKS Scéno / ITV.
Press
The slightly inclined lateral stage wall, balcony soffits and canopy provide optimised acoustic reflections back to the musicians for excellent on-stage hearing conditions. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
October 2016, opening night of the 950-seat concert hall with the Bochumer Symphoniker conducted by Steven Sloane. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
The stage accommodates a full symphony orchestra with choir on a low balcony for good connection between orchestra and choir. The choir balcony can also be used for audience seating. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
The concert hall – viewed here from the choir balcony behind the stage – provides great proximity and musical connection between the musicians and last rows of audience. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
The two balconies — curved at the back and the front, with broken angles at the sides — have slightly inclined balcony fronts that optimise early acoustic sound reflections to the audience and back to the musicians. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
The canopy, curved in both directions, is acoustically optimised to provide beneficial reflections back to the musicians and to the audience in the stalls. It is installed beneath the sound-transparent ceiling of the new concert hall. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
Above the choir balcony, detail of the broken angles at the sides of the slightly inclined balcony front that optimises early acoustic sound reflections to the audience and back to the musicians. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
Front balconies' detail with broken angles at the sides, with a slightly inclined front that optimises early acoustic sound reflections to the audience and back to the musicians. Use of removable acoustic absorbing curtains. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
The upstage wall is an open surface made of wooden slats, behind which a sound absorbing curtain can be installed in order to adjust orchestral balance. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
Detail of the sound-transparent ceiling with absorbing acoustic curtains. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
At the intersection between the new concert hall and the multifunctional hall, the renovated church is the heart of the music centre and is now used as the foyer and for events. Photo © Kahle Acoustics
The new music centre maintains the architectural presence of St. Mary's church. The audience enters the building through the church now used as foyer. The historic walls of the church are still visible inside the new building. Photo © Kahle Acoustics