Revitalizing the Blaibach centre in Germany, architecture agency Peter Haimerl Architektur was commissioned to build a new concert hall called the ‘Konzerthaus Blaibach’. The hall is located next to the new community centre and is part of a completely renewed village square. The concert hall is a solitaire of concrete, featuring an inclination above the slope in the centre of the village that follows the topography and links with its granite facade in the stone carving tradition of the village.

The monolithic and titled building opens itself to its visitors, then guides them down to the foyer below the surface with a staircase. The foyer not only functions as wardrobe, sanitary rooms and bar, but also as hallway around the auditorium into the inner concert hall. Precised lights slits and LED-lights illuminate the space, while the acoustics were a labour of art since the building body was made of pre-cast concrete and only a highly intricate constructed formwork could make the realization of this difficult form possible. The titled surfaces of the hall are based on acoustic specifications and also house bass absorbers behind the lights slits and underneath the steps for optimal acoustics. The concrete remains untreated and its lively surface helps absorb the medium-height tones.

Photographs: Courtesy of peter haimerl.architektur