IELTS Listening: Designing a public building

We’ve been discussing the factors the architect has to consider when designing domestic buildings. I’m going to move on now to consider the design of public buildings and I’ll illustrate this by referring to the new Taylor concert hall that’s recently been completed here in the city.

The designer of a public building may need to consider the building’s

•   function
•   physical and 31 social context
•   symbolic meaning

So as with a domestic building, when designing a public building an architect needs to consider the function of the building, for example is it to be used primarily for entertainment or for education or for administration.

The second thing the architect needs to think about is the context of the building. This includes its physical location obviously but it also includes the social meaning of the building how it relates to the people it’s built for.

And finally for important public buildings the architect may also be looking for a central symbolic idea on which to base the design, a sort of metaphor for the building and the way in which it is used.

Location and concept of the Concert Hall

On the site of a disused 32 factory

Beside a 33 canal.

The design is based on the concept of a mystery

Let’s look at the new Taylor concert hall in relation to these ideas. The location chosen was a site in a run-down district that has been ignored in previous redevelopment plans. It was occupied by a factory that had been empty for some years. The whole area was some distance from the high-rise office blocks of the central business district and shopping center but it was only one kilometer from the Ring Road. The site itself was bordered to the north by a canal which had once been used by boats bringing in raw materials when the area was used for manufacturing.

The architect chosen for the project was Tom Harrison. He found the main design challenge was the location of the site in an area that had no neighboring buildings of any importance. To reflect the fact that the significance of the building in this quite rundown location was as yet unknown he decided to create a building centered around the idea of a mystery something whose meaning still has to be discovered.

Building design

It’s approached by a 34 bridge for pedestrians

The building is the shape of a 35 box

One exterior wall acts as a large 36 screen

So how was this reflected in the design of the building? Well Harrison decided to create pedestrian access to the building and to make use of the presence of water on the site. As people approached the entrance they therefore have to cross over a bridge.

He wanted to give people a feeling of suspense as they see the building first from a distance and then close up. And the initial impression he wanted to create from the shape of the building as a whole was that of a box.

The first side that people see, the southern wall, is just a high flat wall uninterrupted by any windows. This might sound off-putting but it supports Harrison’s concept of the building that the person approaching is intrigued and wonders what will be inside and this flat wall also has another purpose. At night time projectors are switched on and it functions as a huge screen onto which images are projected.

In the auditorium:

– the floor is built on huge pads made of 37 rubber

– the walls are made of local wood and are 38 curved in shape

– ceiling panels and 39 curtains on walls allow adjustment of acoustics

The auditorium itself seats 1500 people. The floor’s supported by 10 massive pads. These are constructed from rubber and so are able to absorb any vibrations from outside and prevent them from affecting the auditorium.

The walls are made of several layers of honey-colored wood all sourced from local beech trees. In order to improve the acoustic properties of the auditorium and to amplify the sound, they are not straight, they are curved.

The acoustics are also adjustable according to the size of orchestra and the type of music being played. In order to achieve this there are nine movable panels in the ceiling above the orchestra which are all individually motorized and the walls also have curtains which can be opened or closed to change the acoustics.

Evaluation

Some critics say the 40  international style of the building is inappropriate.

The reaction of the public to the new building has generally been positive. however the evaluation of some critics has been less enthusiastic. In spite of Harrison’s efforts to use local materials, they criticize the style of the design as being international rather than local and say it doesn’t reflect features of the landscape or society for which it is built.