A SYMPHONY OF PLAY
Musical Retreat and Performance Hall
2021 / academic / balloch, scotland / individual / 1500 sqm
This was a project undertaken in response to my year 3 brief of building a performance space + musical retreat for children between the ages of 4-18 in a Scottish town called Balloch. ‘A Symphony of Play’ aims to celebrate a harmony between the built and the existing by inculcating all the elements of the site into the new design. My approach was heavily concerned with the energy, landscape, and culture of the area and over time, my design began to grow with the trees present on site as its focus.
I conducted extensive research on root protection norms and experimented with different iterations to find the one that would best allow me to conduct minimum intervention on the trees as they stood while being able to utilise the space around the trees.
The presence of music is present throughout the architecture of the buildings. The horizontal elevations of the building from the street aim to enhance the verticality of the alder trees and other native Scottish species present on the site closer to the waterfront. The trees are included into the building and have adjacent spaces that open up to create nooks meant to encourage musical collaboration and activity amongst the students. The timber and glass facade of the buildings helps it blend into the surrounding landscape. The alder trees (known for their wood’s musical properties in the making of instruments) are a symbol of song amidst which the students create music in sync with nature. The symmetry of the columns on the facade of the buildings follows the rhythmic order of the Indian musical notes or the sargam.
ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES
TECHNICAL DETAILS
