House of Music - HAUS DER MUSIK Innsbruck | Dietrich I Untertrifaller

The House of Music in Innsbruck by DIETRICH | UNTERTRIFALLER ARCHITEKTEN + ERICH STROLZ is a multifunctional building that occupies a key site in the cultural center of Innsbruck adjacent to the Landestheater (Tyrolean State Theater), Innsbruck University, the imperial court, museums, landmarks and protected age-old trees. A building of synergy and connection, it was conceived as an Open House for cultural exchange among musicians, audiences, teachers, students and the general public, local and international, across all ages and performance genres. The unifying element is music, which the architecture draws on for inspiration. Housed inside are ten separate and previously scattered musical institutions, a 550-seat concert hall and a more intimate 100-seat chamber hall, rehearsal rooms, expansive support spaces, classrooms, event and meeting rooms, offices, dining, a preeminent national music library, and outdoor terraces with panoramic views of Innsbruck and the Alps. According to the state theater director, Johannes Reitmeier, it is a “unique project that has no equal.” The apparent simplicity of the 85,000 square-foot volume belies the extreme complexity of its program. The building is immersed in its privileged setting, where it is scaled to complement neighbors and offer generous views and reflections. Its transparent base and great open spaces blur interior-exterior distinctions so that the outdoors visually flow inside while the building’s interior functions -- clearly organized for high visibility -- pour out to the street in a multi-story landscape that engages even passers-by. The large concert hall, with its sweeping glass façade, becomes a great plein air stage and the building’s entry plaza becomes a welcoming auditorium.