The most spectacular intervention carried out by DRDH Architects, in terms of construction, consisted in lowering the entire floor of the room by 1.2 m. In addition to increasing the acoustic volume of the hall by almost 13%, direct reflection from the side walls has been improved, making both the stage and the auditorium fully accessible, with all the historic access doors recovered.
The materialization, treated as if it were a wooden acoustic instrument carefully crafted to provide an enveloping and immersive sound, has been made in smoked oak that visually complements the extraordinary medieval structure of the building.
Bijloke concert hall by DRDH Architects. Photograph by Karin Borghouts.
Bijloke concert hall by DRDH Architects. Photograph by Karin Borghouts.
Project description by DRDH Architects
The Bijloke Music Centre is a cultural institution for classical music, jazz, and contemporary arts, within the Bijloke site in Ghent. The concert hall is the principal venue among an ensemble of public rooms within the Music Centre, including a smaller 250-seat recital hall, an old anatomical theatre, and a library. Set within the remarkable13th Century gothic hall, the former infirmary of the historic Bijloke Abbey hospital, the new 830-seat venue takes advantage of the particular and special qualities of the space as found, but augments them with characteristic elements of classical concert spaces, of similar form and scale, creating an acoustic concert hall of international standard, able to host performances and performers of the highest caliber.
Despite its impressive scale and important historical elements, the existing hall does not have the natural attributes of a concert hall, and the previous interior employed electro-acoustic enhancement to create even an acceptable acoustic environment. The new design obviates the need for this by increasing the natural reverberance of the space and improving the experience of both audience and performers, through a number of incremental measures.
Bijloke concert hall by DRDH Architects. Photograph by Karin Borghouts.
Bijloke concert hall by DRDH Architects. Photograph by Karin Borghouts.
The most dramatic, in terms of construction, involved lowering the entire floor of the hall by 1.2m. Beyond increasing the volume of the room by around 13%, this improves direct reflection from the side walls and makes both stage and auditorium fully accessible, with all the historic entrance doors being reinstated. The elongated proportions of the existing space are countered by moving the stage into the center of the room by 5m, while also pulling the rear seats forward to create circulation behind. This increases the feeling of intimacy between the audience and performers, particularly for those in the rear seats, and creates space for choir seating behind the orchestra, above a new backstage area.
The new element is placed, vessel-like, within the larger body of the hall and is conceived as a finely made acoustic timber instrument that tunes the existing volume to provide both an enveloping and immersive sound and an appropriately intimate atmosphere, bringing a renewed sense of purpose to this significant historic setting.
