Located in the heart of the historic core of the city, in proximity to the Old Town Square, one of the oldest town squares in Europe, the Staroměstské Concert Hall or the Old Town Concert Hall is slated to be one of the most significant among the modern structures. Because of the tragic history of the historic building that once stood tall in the concert hall’s site, and to distinguish itself from the former building and the Baroque and medieval facades of the nearby buildings, the Old Town Square Concert Hall employs a modern take on the age-old concert hall.
In reference to the three distinct parts of the open space on the site, the building largely adopts triangular forms from the diagrid structure, composed of slanted steel columns to the panels that adorn the facade of the building. The formal composition of the building and its subsequent functions also adopt three distinct programmatic distinctions, such as private, public and the merger, that is, the auditorium itself.
To allow for a continuous circulation of users from the front of the site to the rear, and to pay homage to the European bloc configuration that is prevalent in the surroundings buildings, the building is further separated into three physical realms : the North wing facing the Boulevard, the South wing which houses the auditorium and the bridges connecting the two aforementioned wings. The bridges, one used for by the performers, and one used by visitors entering the auditorium from the lobby on the second floor of the North wing, sit above the open courtyard space in the center of the site.
The merger, aka the auditorium, is the most fundamental program of the building, which brings together the performers and the patrons in the most theatrical style. Large triangular window openings as well as the triangular skylights above in the auditorium itself, are reminiscent of the rule of three, with three opacities of panels bringing or countering daylight in the spaces. From the outside, a facade of triangular geometries wraps the South wing, casting deliberate and 3 dimensional shadows on the skin of the building.
