I arrived in Kyoto yesterday and hit the ground running.
Here is a link to the photos...I am completely exhausted, but I will write more later.
I will say this: these gardens, temples, shrines, and sites are completely mind-blowing...they are fantastic!
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopher.kitterman/KyotoDay1#
Monday, October 13, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
YOKOHAMA>
After a rough start this a.m., I finally made it to Yokohama to see the International Port Terminal by F.O.A. (Foreign Office Architects). Only 30 minutes from Tokyo Station, Yokohama is supposed to be the 2nd largest city in Japan after Tokyo. If you saw the maps I have of the subway / train service between the two cities, you definitely wouldn't doubt this fact...the Tokyo subway system dwarfs Yokohama in terms of representation and in scale in general. It is very difficult to find anything that describes the route to get there and to get around once you are there, but I was able to figure it out...
The International Port Terminal is adjacent to 'downtown' Yokohama and easily reached by foot from the Kannai station (go to this station and not 'Yokohama' if you make it there). On the two lane road tethering the terminal to the shore, the building appears ominous as you see it from below instead of head-on, because an elongated ramp leads up to the entrance so vehicles can park on the pier underneath the building. Coming down from the building, the wood decking greets the sidewalk and takes you into the project. There are two ways of entering the building: one by means of the roof and the other is a traditional entry into the entry hall. The deck bifurcates; both outer edges gently ramp up to the roof while the main deck leads you inside.
Just prior to entering, the landscaped roof or roofscape overhangs the glass enclosure; it is here that you see the structural expression of the building itself. Steel plates are folded in an origami-like system (sorry for the reference) that thicken as you move away from the center and, depending on the location of the series of ramps that connect the three levels, turn down and become structural 'columns' for the building. When looked at from the side, you can clearly read these 'columns' running vertically through the building. Always appearing symmetrically balanced along the building's center, what occurs on one side of this center line is mirrored on the other side. Inside, the decking continues, but the grey, folded steel dominates the space. It has the feeling as if you are inside of a ship itself. Huge florescent uplights are used to illuminate the space. No skylights occur; the only connection to the water from the inside are the occasional glass walls which surprisingly do not help to illuminate the interior much more, and the ramps that lead to the roof.
Outside on the roof is where you experience the swells that occur in the main hall's structural ceiling. Long ramping processions lead to this new roofscape of decking and grass lawn inserts. Depending on local conditions on the roof, the decking's linear strips adjust to the different geometries producing wild patterns that are exasperated by how each plank reflects sun or by the glare produced from a previous rain. Double steel tubes are held off of the surface and act as benches again recalling the linearity of the decking planks. After the entry hall, the roof returns to meet the interior level; here, the sides become wide steps which play as an informal seating venue. Another entry occurs--this time to an formal restaurant and other back of house programs for the complex.
Illuminated by vertical linear light strips, the roof is also dramatic at night. The patterning of the seemingly random placed lights against the blackness of the sky and bay beyond is nice, and, too, when viewed against the city.
I had a great time here and even took some time to visit closer to the downtown area. Fortunately, I came upon a German Oktoberfest and enjoyed a beer while singing 'Ein Prosit' with the Japanese crowd...that for some reason was not on my 'formal' itinerary! never saw that one coming!
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopher.kitterman/Yokohama#
The International Port Terminal is adjacent to 'downtown' Yokohama and easily reached by foot from the Kannai station (go to this station and not 'Yokohama' if you make it there). On the two lane road tethering the terminal to the shore, the building appears ominous as you see it from below instead of head-on, because an elongated ramp leads up to the entrance so vehicles can park on the pier underneath the building. Coming down from the building, the wood decking greets the sidewalk and takes you into the project. There are two ways of entering the building: one by means of the roof and the other is a traditional entry into the entry hall. The deck bifurcates; both outer edges gently ramp up to the roof while the main deck leads you inside.
Just prior to entering, the landscaped roof or roofscape overhangs the glass enclosure; it is here that you see the structural expression of the building itself. Steel plates are folded in an origami-like system (sorry for the reference) that thicken as you move away from the center and, depending on the location of the series of ramps that connect the three levels, turn down and become structural 'columns' for the building. When looked at from the side, you can clearly read these 'columns' running vertically through the building. Always appearing symmetrically balanced along the building's center, what occurs on one side of this center line is mirrored on the other side. Inside, the decking continues, but the grey, folded steel dominates the space. It has the feeling as if you are inside of a ship itself. Huge florescent uplights are used to illuminate the space. No skylights occur; the only connection to the water from the inside are the occasional glass walls which surprisingly do not help to illuminate the interior much more, and the ramps that lead to the roof.
Outside on the roof is where you experience the swells that occur in the main hall's structural ceiling. Long ramping processions lead to this new roofscape of decking and grass lawn inserts. Depending on local conditions on the roof, the decking's linear strips adjust to the different geometries producing wild patterns that are exasperated by how each plank reflects sun or by the glare produced from a previous rain. Double steel tubes are held off of the surface and act as benches again recalling the linearity of the decking planks. After the entry hall, the roof returns to meet the interior level; here, the sides become wide steps which play as an informal seating venue. Another entry occurs--this time to an formal restaurant and other back of house programs for the complex.
Illuminated by vertical linear light strips, the roof is also dramatic at night. The patterning of the seemingly random placed lights against the blackness of the sky and bay beyond is nice, and, too, when viewed against the city.
I had a great time here and even took some time to visit closer to the downtown area. Fortunately, I came upon a German Oktoberfest and enjoyed a beer while singing 'Ein Prosit' with the Japanese crowd...that for some reason was not on my 'formal' itinerary! never saw that one coming!
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopher.kitterman/Yokohama#
Thursday, October 9, 2008
TOKYO!! (You are not in Kansas anymore...)
Wow!
I was so exhausted after the flight to Tokyo. No problems in the arrivals procedures, but now I know how foreigners visiting the US must feel...I was fingerprinted and photographed before entry was granted.
The bus from Narita to T-CAT (Tokyo City Air Terminal) is about 60 minutes and is 2,500Yen...not so bad.
I arrived without problem to my hotel and I have lucked out again on proximity to public transportation. Very easy to reach.
The city is HUGE. I am blown away...Instead of just collapsing from exhaustion as I wanted to, I decided to venture out to a neighborhood called GINZA...shopping and such for a quick drink and snack. I left around 5pm and was hoping to see the guys with the white gloves push and squeeze the passengers on the train, but no such luck...it was practically empty.
After a 3-4 hour excursion to loosen up the legs after the travels, I passed out.
NEXT DAY:
Well, I have to admit, one of the top sites on my list of things to see and do here in Tokyo is Herzog and de Meuron's Prada store. Not necessarily to shop (haha), but because it is one of my favorite projects of the Swiss duo's.
In a neighborhood called Omotesando, there is a thoroughfare that is home to many upscale shops in the city...I think it is even nicer than Ginza, actually. Anyhow...there are four major stores located here: Toyo Ito's Tod's, SANAA's Dior Store, Tadao Ando's Omotesando Hills (shopping mall), and Herzog and de Meuron's Prada Store.
Tod's is a concrete and glass tower (actually they are all towers except for the Ando project) that very much recalls the angular composition of solids and voids of his Serpentine Pavilion (2002) in London-only in concrete and now a tower.
SANAA's Dior is a series of stacked glass boxes each with a different volumetric expression. Using a double glass facade of transparent at the outer layer and silkscreened glass with a grid pattern at the interior. I believe there is another scrim of the gridded pattern at the interior as well, because, a moire pattern is produced upon closer inspection, and the surface looks like it has a slight billow to it--like a pillow. It is very sexy...
HdM's Prada: wow. it is remarkable. the exoskeleton is both structure and frame for the glass inserts-some of which are flat and some have a bubble shape to them. Also in the matrix are translucent panels where 4 form the expression of the changing rooms on the facade. The tower is set in a folded paver plaza that is surrounded on two sides by a moss covered wall that interlocks with the pavers. Inside, depending on which floor you are on, the changing rooms act as the mediator between two different levels..these are solid tubes that run through the entire horizontal length of the building. You can move through these to access different floors or there is a conventional stair that works its way up. Displays are either molded into a core like structure that links all of the floors or they are free standing elements...some of which are molded fiberglass pieces with LED lights embedded into the fiberglass itself...they are beautiful. The women's clothes 'racks' are sheathed in fur...they are very cool. As you are not supposed to take photos of the interior, I was able to snap one quickly before I was reprimanded by the usually-sweet-but-can-pull-out-the-'OH no you didn't just take a photo in here' sales attendants . You can see the fur for yourself...
With that...
Order is the day. The subway station marks where you are to stand and which side of the walk you should walk on...everyone follows suit. Everything is meticulous...
Everyone, too, is exceptionally friendly...especially if you are not trying to take illegal photos in their stores. I cannot believe that I walked into each of these stores and someone not only greeted me within 30 seconds, but wanted to show me around, too. That never happens in NYC, or at least not to me...
For instance: I stopped for a coffee in the Omotesando area and the server was so sweet and kind. She brought me water without asking, she made my napkin into an orgami piece to wrap around the spoon for goodness sakes. Upon leaving, I left a nice tip for her kindness. Riding up the escalator, I heard someone calling 'excuse me, excuse me!' Noticing that I was standing on the right hand side instead of the left side, I assumed she was just trying to tell me to get on the correct side of the stair. I move over, and I got a tap on my shoulder...It was the server bringing BACK my tip thinking I left it by accident! WHA?! I tried to explain that was for her, but she wouldn't take it...again, never in NYC!
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopher.kitterman/Tokyo#5255181465316727538
I was so exhausted after the flight to Tokyo. No problems in the arrivals procedures, but now I know how foreigners visiting the US must feel...I was fingerprinted and photographed before entry was granted.
The bus from Narita to T-CAT (Tokyo City Air Terminal) is about 60 minutes and is 2,500Yen...not so bad.
I arrived without problem to my hotel and I have lucked out again on proximity to public transportation. Very easy to reach.
The city is HUGE. I am blown away...Instead of just collapsing from exhaustion as I wanted to, I decided to venture out to a neighborhood called GINZA...shopping and such for a quick drink and snack. I left around 5pm and was hoping to see the guys with the white gloves push and squeeze the passengers on the train, but no such luck...it was practically empty.
After a 3-4 hour excursion to loosen up the legs after the travels, I passed out.
NEXT DAY:
Well, I have to admit, one of the top sites on my list of things to see and do here in Tokyo is Herzog and de Meuron's Prada store. Not necessarily to shop (haha), but because it is one of my favorite projects of the Swiss duo's.
In a neighborhood called Omotesando, there is a thoroughfare that is home to many upscale shops in the city...I think it is even nicer than Ginza, actually. Anyhow...there are four major stores located here: Toyo Ito's Tod's, SANAA's Dior Store, Tadao Ando's Omotesando Hills (shopping mall), and Herzog and de Meuron's Prada Store.
Tod's is a concrete and glass tower (actually they are all towers except for the Ando project) that very much recalls the angular composition of solids and voids of his Serpentine Pavilion (2002) in London-only in concrete and now a tower.
SANAA's Dior is a series of stacked glass boxes each with a different volumetric expression. Using a double glass facade of transparent at the outer layer and silkscreened glass with a grid pattern at the interior. I believe there is another scrim of the gridded pattern at the interior as well, because, a moire pattern is produced upon closer inspection, and the surface looks like it has a slight billow to it--like a pillow. It is very sexy...
HdM's Prada: wow. it is remarkable. the exoskeleton is both structure and frame for the glass inserts-some of which are flat and some have a bubble shape to them. Also in the matrix are translucent panels where 4 form the expression of the changing rooms on the facade. The tower is set in a folded paver plaza that is surrounded on two sides by a moss covered wall that interlocks with the pavers. Inside, depending on which floor you are on, the changing rooms act as the mediator between two different levels..these are solid tubes that run through the entire horizontal length of the building. You can move through these to access different floors or there is a conventional stair that works its way up. Displays are either molded into a core like structure that links all of the floors or they are free standing elements...some of which are molded fiberglass pieces with LED lights embedded into the fiberglass itself...they are beautiful. The women's clothes 'racks' are sheathed in fur...they are very cool. As you are not supposed to take photos of the interior, I was able to snap one quickly before I was reprimanded by the usually-sweet-but-can-pull-out-the-'OH no you didn't just take a photo in here' sales attendants . You can see the fur for yourself...
With that...
Order is the day. The subway station marks where you are to stand and which side of the walk you should walk on...everyone follows suit. Everything is meticulous...
Everyone, too, is exceptionally friendly...especially if you are not trying to take illegal photos in their stores. I cannot believe that I walked into each of these stores and someone not only greeted me within 30 seconds, but wanted to show me around, too. That never happens in NYC, or at least not to me...
For instance: I stopped for a coffee in the Omotesando area and the server was so sweet and kind. She brought me water without asking, she made my napkin into an orgami piece to wrap around the spoon for goodness sakes. Upon leaving, I left a nice tip for her kindness. Riding up the escalator, I heard someone calling 'excuse me, excuse me!' Noticing that I was standing on the right hand side instead of the left side, I assumed she was just trying to tell me to get on the correct side of the stair. I move over, and I got a tap on my shoulder...It was the server bringing BACK my tip thinking I left it by accident! WHA?! I tried to explain that was for her, but she wouldn't take it...again, never in NYC!
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopher.kitterman/Tokyo#5255181465316727538
MADRID FINAL DAYS...
So, the opera performance was spectacular! I attended Verdi's Un Ballo in Machero at the Teatro Real, which is located adjacent to the Royal palace, but the King and Queen were not in attendance...:-)
Over the last days, I visited the Museo Reina Sofia. The collection leans towards the modern as opposed to the Museo del Prado. The highlight was absolutely viewing Picasso's Guernica in person. I had no idea how enormous the canvas is, nor how powerful the piece is in person. I am not sure if this is the because of the scale or not, but I appreciate looking at the painting and seeing how Picasso worked through the composition as you can see traces of how the scene progressed as he worked towards its completion. The bull's eyes, for instance, became further apart and more skewed than in an earlier draft. Also included in the exhibition are studies of different aspects of this painting: large hands, feet, the bull's head, the horse...all were drawn similar to the scale of the final work.
Jean Nouvel has made an addition to this museum. He has made a concrete plaza surrounded on three sides by his new buildings and the fourth side by the original building. There is a huge and very thick canopy with different cutouts for light placed high above the plaza level. A new bookstore, library, restaurant, and office spaces are part of the program. No additional gallery spaces (or that I saw) were constructed. It is very PoMo with red everywhere. The restaurant has a smoothly molded canopy in fire engine red with different tables of white, folded corian to contrast. Everything else is grey granite...UHH.
Also, I visited the Jardim Bontanical adjacent to the Museu del Prado...at little run down, but still some great stuff. I love the idea of putting landscape (nature) on display in a formal garden setting. Plants that would probably never grow naturally next to each other or grow in the climate of Madrid in general are painstakingly cared for just for us to see...
Great wine, sangria, food, and some nice jogs in the park again before I left...sadly. Spain and Portugal have been truly amazing.
Off to Tokyo.
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopher.kitterman/MadridLastDays?pli=1&gsessionid=Znpdnndf2cshfnYqcfKueQ#
Over the last days, I visited the Museo Reina Sofia. The collection leans towards the modern as opposed to the Museo del Prado. The highlight was absolutely viewing Picasso's Guernica in person. I had no idea how enormous the canvas is, nor how powerful the piece is in person. I am not sure if this is the because of the scale or not, but I appreciate looking at the painting and seeing how Picasso worked through the composition as you can see traces of how the scene progressed as he worked towards its completion. The bull's eyes, for instance, became further apart and more skewed than in an earlier draft. Also included in the exhibition are studies of different aspects of this painting: large hands, feet, the bull's head, the horse...all were drawn similar to the scale of the final work.
Jean Nouvel has made an addition to this museum. He has made a concrete plaza surrounded on three sides by his new buildings and the fourth side by the original building. There is a huge and very thick canopy with different cutouts for light placed high above the plaza level. A new bookstore, library, restaurant, and office spaces are part of the program. No additional gallery spaces (or that I saw) were constructed. It is very PoMo with red everywhere. The restaurant has a smoothly molded canopy in fire engine red with different tables of white, folded corian to contrast. Everything else is grey granite...UHH.
Also, I visited the Jardim Bontanical adjacent to the Museu del Prado...at little run down, but still some great stuff. I love the idea of putting landscape (nature) on display in a formal garden setting. Plants that would probably never grow naturally next to each other or grow in the climate of Madrid in general are painstakingly cared for just for us to see...
Great wine, sangria, food, and some nice jogs in the park again before I left...sadly. Spain and Portugal have been truly amazing.
Off to Tokyo.
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopher.kitterman/MadridLastDays?pli=1&gsessionid=Znpdnndf2cshfnYqcfKueQ#
Friday, October 3, 2008
MADRID:
Tuesday a.m. I arrived in Madrid after an exceptionally painful 13 hours of train travel from Porto. Instead of Traveling southeast, I had to first go north and into Spain only to turn around and come back south. In any case, I arrived and have been enjoying myself over the past few days.
After taking care of laundry and getting some sleep on Tuesday, I spent basically all of Wednesday at the Prado Museum. The collection is basically European art from 1100-1800 with an obvious focus on Spanish art. Spectacular...it has to be one of my all time favorite museums, but what is really magnificent is the Velazquez and Goya collection. Velazquez's work in particular was exciting to see as I studied the seminal painting 'Las Meninas' in a theory class at Tulane. Seeing it in person was great as the scale of the painting only adds to its power.
The Prado is located next to the Jardim Botanico which I plan to see later on in the week, but even further beyond that is a great urban park called Parque del Buen Retiro. It is a Beaux Arts layout with different fountains and pavilions set in a structured series of paths through different gardens. It has been a great place to run in the evenings....
I have also visited the Caixa Forum by Herzog and de Meuron...It is the reuse of an existing building with an addition to the roof. The ground plane has been opened up with a new, folded steel roof supporting the underside of the building. Four different feet reach the ground as support, but from different vantage points, the brick building seems to be floating over a folding concrete plaza. Set perpendicular to the building, is a lush green wall. Planting vary drastically giving an exceptional amount of texture and relief to the wall. The green becomes a nice contrast to the red of the building.
The addition is a cor-ten clad structure that rests abruptly on the existing building's multiple pitched roof line. Created as a perforated veil, the addition is glass enclosed; the cor-ten becomes a filter to look through on what is a restaurant level.
To enter the building, you pass into the one 'foot' resting on the ground that is actually open. Here, the soffit of this open plaza under the building undulates and folds down to rest on the ground plane; inside is a folded stainless steel stair that circles its way up to the next level where the major publics spaces are located: information, book store, and informal lounge. The same stainless steel is carried through as flooring with different walnut wood pieces defining the program elements mentioned above. There are two floors of free exhibitions above with the restaurant level above those.
The lower level plaza and green wall are remarkable. Treated in a similar fashion as the Forum building in Barcelona with an undulating ground plane and building soffit, the Caixa Forum seems better scaled for habitation as there seems to be enough light to actually make it hospitable; also, there is a water feature that makes the folding of the ground plane integrated into a larger idea instead of just undulating for the sake of undulating.
Enough talk..I have an opera to attend at the Teatro Real...Verdi is on the bill and I am excited!!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Old Fart and the Sea
Leca de Palmeira:
Just outside the limits of Porto is a great landscape / architecture project by the Portuguese architect, Alvaro Siza. It is the Leca Swimming Pools situated in and on the Atlantic Ocean's rocky coast here in northern Portugal. Accessed by a trip on the Porto Metro and a 40 minute walk across an industrial canal, the beach and the swimming pools are well worth the trip.
The project consists of three or so swimming pools built into the rocks along the shore along with a series of changing cabanas / storage rooms for guests. Arriving to the complex along a road running parallel to the shore, a series of scopper standing seam roofs are all that is visible. These fragments vary slightly in pitch and rest upon a series of concrete retaining walls running parallel to the street edge. From the road, a ramp leads you into this complex; on the seaside are the various pools and beaches associated with the complex.
Unlike my previous day's visit to the Casa da Musica where you are allowed to roam freely through the complex, I was not afforded the same hospitality here at the swimming pools. As I arrived, two men were setting on the roof edge, and when I attempted to walk down the entrance ramp, one of the 'gentlemen' leaped up and began YELLING, 'NO! NO! NO! ***%@^@" (I assumed the '***%@^@' means we are closed in Portuguese, but you never know...) Dressed in a purple shirt, khaki pants, and a red beret, the man had no indication that he actually worked there. It did not say 'Leca Swimming Pools' (in Portuguese) on his shirt, nor was there any sign posted that listed the hours and / or days of operation. Nothing. So, to get the man to stop screaming, I backed up, apologized, and walked away.
Some of you may be thinking, as I am known to do on occasion, that I am over exaggerating this description...that the man was probably just saying something to the point of, 'sir, we are not open today..' or 'thank you for coming, but...' But that is just not the case...it has been a long time since I have been yelled at and this is exactly what he was doing. I have to admit, I almost started laughing at the fact...
So, as I am walking away, I decide that this trip is not going to be a total bust. I can take photographs of this from the sidewalk outside the complex. Sidewalks are public, at least they used to be. Along the seawall edge, there is white metal grate fence that keeps people from accessing the roof. I take out my camera and stick the lens through the grating and damn if the guy doesn't start screaming at me again! This time waving his arms like crazy! So, I pull the lens back through the grating and he stops screaming, but he is still standing up with his eyes drilled into mine. I start taking my photos and he is watching every move. Just for fun, I stick the lens through the grating again, and yes, he started screaming at me! Now that I have learned how to push his buttons, I decided I can make this photographing experience fun and humorous all at the same time...
As mentioned earlier, the pools are cut into the rocks along the beach; however, there is a point where the rocks stop and a sandy beach begins. From here, you can easily walk into the swimming complex as the beach in the complex opens directly onto the public beach. But my friend running the complex, or one of his accomplices, strung a red tape from the sea wall down to the lower rocks as a barrier to keep people out. Now, I am not looking for trouble and I am not going to cross this tape, but like the fence on the seawall, I decide to get as close as possible. Of course, the bully has moved into the lower terraces and is watching me come down the stairs towards this tape. As I get closer, so does he. I set all my gear down and take out my film camera and start composing a shot. By this time, he is waving like crazy, and so to have a little fun with him, I just wave back as if I was his best friend that I see down the street and we hadn't seen each other in ten or so years! He didn't find this amusing, I guess, because he stopped waving, but went back into the shadows to watch me. I climbed upon some of the rocks for another photograph still on my side of the tape, and sure enough, he starts flapping his arms AGAIN! I repeat my wave back and he retreats again.
There is no one at this complex. The pools have been drained and there are just a few people on the beach in general. Why he was so adamant about keeping me behind that tape is beyond me. It is not like I was going to go over and kick out lights or tag the bottom of the white pool with spray paint or anything...the huge camera should have given it away that I was not that type. I guess he does have to watch out for people like that though...
Upon leaving, I walk in the opposite direction of the canal as there is more to see along the seawall. I stop to take a few more pics, but I do not find my new friend. I guess all the waving to each other tired him out, so I moved on, happy to have made a new aquaintance in Portugal.
here is the link for the photos...to protect the innocent, I did not include a photograph of my new friend...
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopher.kitterman/PortoAlvaroSiza?authkey=B6u976T_-68&pli=1&gsessionid=QgtqXau-4MGL8D2sga7uOA#
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
CASA DA MUSICA-PORTO
After arriving and checking into my accommodations, I am informed that I have a few hours before the room will be ready. So, without a shower since yesterday morning and wrinkled clothing, I freshen up and head out to find the Casa da Musica.
Porto has a fairly new metro system, and fortunately I am again close to a stop and easily get to the music hall.
Setting in the middle of a travertine plaza rises a multi-faceted concrete object with various types of glazing expressed on its surface. Depending on your position, views through the glass allow you to see that each of these spaces is treated in vary different materials. On an opening just above the plaza level, a stainless steel stair slides out of the opening an rests on the ground.
Entering the building up this stair, you arrive in an exceptionally vertical space that is defined by a stair with angular walls on one side (the facade) and a clean vertical wall on the other. Above, different shapes jut out into the space and angular columns cut through bracing who knows what. Adjacent also to the entrance is a ticket / coat check and a bank of Apple computers for composing electronic music; all is for the public. On the other side of the coat check is another stair that works its way up through the building. The entry sequence is one of two spaces that cut through the entire building; the other is the main concert hall.
Stairs and corridors are expressed with stainless steel, perforated screens, and exposed concrete. Therefore, any space that is not 'circulation' is treated with a new material. Moving up through the building past different bars and break-out spaces for intermissions, I arrive at one of the main concert hall's two ends. This is another exceptionally vertical space defined by a 'wavy' glass wall on both sides--you are standing in the air separation between the building and the hall. The concert hall is a shoebox type with the stage placed at a position that allows seating on both sides. The walls are plywood sheets with a gold leaf pattern recalling the wood's grain enlarged and pixelated imprinted onto the wood itself, so from afar, the actual wood recedes as different shades of brown with a new layer of golden veins that change intensity depending on the time of day. Also on the two wood side walls are different cutouts, again in 'wavy' glass exposing different spaces looking into the main hall.
Since the stage is placed in such a way that the audience can set on either side, a curtain is not necessary. The 'wavy' glass recalls the draping of a curtain, but its use is not simply for aesthetic reasons; as suspected, I was informed that the shape if for acoustical means. The repeating regular wave is extruded in plan; unlike a plane of glass, when the 'wavy' glass is pushed upon there is no noticeable deflection. By stiffening the glass through a change in its structural qualities, vibrations are reduced or eliminated altogether allowing for vast amounts of natural light and visual permeability to exist in a typology that is not accustomed to these traits-- all without compromising the acoustical qualities of the performance hall.
The seats are also ingenious. At first, I didn't think twice about the actual seat, but once I set down in one, it made perfect sense after a few seconds. All the seats are in the down position, which I didn't first consider when I set down. Normally when I take my seat at a theater, I have to lower the seat before actually setting. Initially, I thought this is the most uncomfortable seat as I had like 12 inches or so to set upon and my butt almost didn't fit! I first thought 'geeze... fat Americans... standing room only in the back of the theater!' but then I have seen some Europeans with some big butts, too, so... Fortunately, the seat slides out transforming the seat to a regular and comfortable dimension. By making the seat sliding instead of folding, you eliminate those awkward situations in a typical row of seating when people brush their butts against you as you stand up, fold your seat up, and turn ever-so-slightly to allow the patron to pass saying, 'excuse me, excuse me...' Here, you just slide back and there is enough room for everyone to have their personal space and enough distance to pass. The armrests are a clear, rubber-like resin cast over a steel arm with the seat number cutout. LED lights are illuminated to backlight the number making it easy to see, while, at the same time, casting a small glow under the armrest with just enough light that if you need to read your program during a performance, you can. I don't know if it is a difference between Europeans and Americans or just this theater, but at the evening's performance I attended, no usher had to come to a row, shine their small flashlight in your face and ask you to move over a seat because the numbers are unclear which seat is which. Everyone took their seat and we all enjoyed a marvelous concert from the Porto Symphony.
A second, smaller performance hall is located next to the main hall; it is clad in perforated plywood panels dipped in red ink that make each panel vary in color intensity (again as I was informed). Here, the seats and stage are movable allowing for various types of performances to occur from a piano recital that I attended to and electronic rave (which was not while I was there, sadly).
There are numerous performance, VIP, and regular patron lounges that overlook the main concert hall. There are photos of each in the photo album; the link is below.
Finally, at the roof level is a fantastic restaurant and a very special outdoor terrace adjacent that opens towards views of the city and the ocean. The terrace is clad in black and white tiles and the side walls follow the angle of the roof; at the point where the side walls fall below a handrail height, a glass handrail stops you from moving to the complete edge.
If you get a chance to go to the Casa da Musica, you must make it up to see this terrace. The complex has adopted a belief that attending a theater experience shouldn't be for a select few. My performance's ticket was 15E; except at some small theaters downtown, I don't think you could get a ticket for the quality of performance I saw for that price in NYC. Also, the building is completely open. No one ever stopped me from going into either of the concert halls or any of the other spaces for that matter; besides the rehearsal rooms and performers' dressing rooms, only one space was closed off to the public. This newly adopted 'transparency' the complex has adopted wants people to visit the building and see as much as possible without compromising the performers' privacy.
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopher.kitterman/CasaDaMusicaOMA?authkey=Y3fFcGyn-H8#
Porto has a fairly new metro system, and fortunately I am again close to a stop and easily get to the music hall.
Setting in the middle of a travertine plaza rises a multi-faceted concrete object with various types of glazing expressed on its surface. Depending on your position, views through the glass allow you to see that each of these spaces is treated in vary different materials. On an opening just above the plaza level, a stainless steel stair slides out of the opening an rests on the ground.
Entering the building up this stair, you arrive in an exceptionally vertical space that is defined by a stair with angular walls on one side (the facade) and a clean vertical wall on the other. Above, different shapes jut out into the space and angular columns cut through bracing who knows what. Adjacent also to the entrance is a ticket / coat check and a bank of Apple computers for composing electronic music; all is for the public. On the other side of the coat check is another stair that works its way up through the building. The entry sequence is one of two spaces that cut through the entire building; the other is the main concert hall.
Stairs and corridors are expressed with stainless steel, perforated screens, and exposed concrete. Therefore, any space that is not 'circulation' is treated with a new material. Moving up through the building past different bars and break-out spaces for intermissions, I arrive at one of the main concert hall's two ends. This is another exceptionally vertical space defined by a 'wavy' glass wall on both sides--you are standing in the air separation between the building and the hall. The concert hall is a shoebox type with the stage placed at a position that allows seating on both sides. The walls are plywood sheets with a gold leaf pattern recalling the wood's grain enlarged and pixelated imprinted onto the wood itself, so from afar, the actual wood recedes as different shades of brown with a new layer of golden veins that change intensity depending on the time of day. Also on the two wood side walls are different cutouts, again in 'wavy' glass exposing different spaces looking into the main hall.
Since the stage is placed in such a way that the audience can set on either side, a curtain is not necessary. The 'wavy' glass recalls the draping of a curtain, but its use is not simply for aesthetic reasons; as suspected, I was informed that the shape if for acoustical means. The repeating regular wave is extruded in plan; unlike a plane of glass, when the 'wavy' glass is pushed upon there is no noticeable deflection. By stiffening the glass through a change in its structural qualities, vibrations are reduced or eliminated altogether allowing for vast amounts of natural light and visual permeability to exist in a typology that is not accustomed to these traits-- all without compromising the acoustical qualities of the performance hall.
The seats are also ingenious. At first, I didn't think twice about the actual seat, but once I set down in one, it made perfect sense after a few seconds. All the seats are in the down position, which I didn't first consider when I set down. Normally when I take my seat at a theater, I have to lower the seat before actually setting. Initially, I thought this is the most uncomfortable seat as I had like 12 inches or so to set upon and my butt almost didn't fit! I first thought 'geeze... fat Americans... standing room only in the back of the theater!' but then I have seen some Europeans with some big butts, too, so... Fortunately, the seat slides out transforming the seat to a regular and comfortable dimension. By making the seat sliding instead of folding, you eliminate those awkward situations in a typical row of seating when people brush their butts against you as you stand up, fold your seat up, and turn ever-so-slightly to allow the patron to pass saying, 'excuse me, excuse me...' Here, you just slide back and there is enough room for everyone to have their personal space and enough distance to pass. The armrests are a clear, rubber-like resin cast over a steel arm with the seat number cutout. LED lights are illuminated to backlight the number making it easy to see, while, at the same time, casting a small glow under the armrest with just enough light that if you need to read your program during a performance, you can. I don't know if it is a difference between Europeans and Americans or just this theater, but at the evening's performance I attended, no usher had to come to a row, shine their small flashlight in your face and ask you to move over a seat because the numbers are unclear which seat is which. Everyone took their seat and we all enjoyed a marvelous concert from the Porto Symphony.
A second, smaller performance hall is located next to the main hall; it is clad in perforated plywood panels dipped in red ink that make each panel vary in color intensity (again as I was informed). Here, the seats and stage are movable allowing for various types of performances to occur from a piano recital that I attended to and electronic rave (which was not while I was there, sadly).
There are numerous performance, VIP, and regular patron lounges that overlook the main concert hall. There are photos of each in the photo album; the link is below.
Finally, at the roof level is a fantastic restaurant and a very special outdoor terrace adjacent that opens towards views of the city and the ocean. The terrace is clad in black and white tiles and the side walls follow the angle of the roof; at the point where the side walls fall below a handrail height, a glass handrail stops you from moving to the complete edge.
If you get a chance to go to the Casa da Musica, you must make it up to see this terrace. The complex has adopted a belief that attending a theater experience shouldn't be for a select few. My performance's ticket was 15E; except at some small theaters downtown, I don't think you could get a ticket for the quality of performance I saw for that price in NYC. Also, the building is completely open. No one ever stopped me from going into either of the concert halls or any of the other spaces for that matter; besides the rehearsal rooms and performers' dressing rooms, only one space was closed off to the public. This newly adopted 'transparency' the complex has adopted wants people to visit the building and see as much as possible without compromising the performers' privacy.
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopher.kitterman/CasaDaMusicaOMA?authkey=Y3fFcGyn-H8#
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