Concepção construtiva e ambiental

Revestimentos de salas de espetáculos

Casa da música

Catarina Ferreira

Federica Palazzolo
 Concepção construtiva e ambiental- Universidade de Coimbra- FCTUC-DARQ

Summary

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………p. 3

Description and introduction of the case of study, Casa da mùsica……………………………………p. 4

Identification of constructive systems with functional requirements…………………………………p. 5-7

Advantages of the material/constructive solution…………………………………………………………….p. 8

Materials and/or technical solutions on the market…………………………………………………...……p. 8-9

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….p. 10

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 Concepção construtiva e ambiental- Universidade de Coimbra- FCTUC-DARQ

Introduction

Concerning Concepção construtiva e ambiental discipline, we started to develop work on coverings in concert
halls, in this case, we chose exclusively the Suggia concert hall, in the music house. This one seemed
interesting to us and a good example for the theme of this work, as it is a very well-known example in
Portugal. The surprise in discovering this room with his grandeur in terms of materiality led us to choose it.

Therefore, throughout this work we will analyze constructive themes, focusing more on acoustic treatment,
as it is a concert hall. We will start with a more general approach, starting by analyzing the music house as a
whole, then moving on to the case study in particular.

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 Concepção construtiva e ambiental- Universidade de Coimbra- FCTUC-DARQ

Description and introduction of the case of study

For our case study, we decided to approach the music house's concert hall. The reasons that led us to this
choice were: the proximity and familiarity with the building in question, one of the most famous and well-
designed theaters in Portugal. The room in question is called the Suggia room.

Located in the center of the Boavista district, next to the Albuquerque square, Casa da Música, in Porto, is a
project by architect Rem Koolhaas, a project designed for 2001, when the city of Porto, together with
Rotterdam, were nominated European capitals of culture.

Rem Koolhaas seeks a visual continuity that ends up establishing both inside and outside, as well as in the
design of reference spaces within the building itself. The design of the building in question gives the feeling of
a “surprise box”. The music house was supposed to have 200m2, but Koolhaas ended up making a cultural
building of almost 38000m2. The music house therefore has two main auditoriums, where the larger
auditorium, which we are working on, has a capacity of 1238 seats, but it can vary according to the needs.
There is also a third concert hall on top of the building designed for 250 seats.

His particular shape consists in a irregular polyhedron of concrete and plays with different facets of white and
with this he clearly wanted to pay homage to architect Alvaro Siza. But another important objective was even
to tie two different aspects of the city, historical Porto and new Porto. Not casually in fact today it is lived by
youth and it became a new important meeting point. Is even evident the connection with the close park in
fact Sala Suggia, the main important of the building was projected facing the direction of Rotunda Boavista in
the exact direction of the monument “aos heròis da guerra peninsular”.

The process was starting from a polyhedron block of concrete and advancing with the operation of
subtracting parts of volume in function of the main aim of each space.

The building is 40 m high and is projected on eight floors out of the street and three underground. The
supporting structure consists in two systems: one in reinforced concrete that starts from foundations and
grows up vertically reaching sala Suggia and a second one that is a still truss structure that leans on concrete
walls till the roof. Although the particular and complicated structure that we can see from plans and sections,
the main room, Sala Suggia, that is our case of study, looks like floating in a big volume and having a main
space.

Further the main hall, Sala Suggia, the building contains even other smaller concert halls, ten rehearsal
rooms, recording rooms, studios, a training space, a restaurant, a terrace, a bar, a VIP room characterized by
azulejos, administrative areas and an underground car park for 600 vehicles.

Figura 1- Fotografia cada da música exterior- Antonio Amen Figura 2- Sala suggia, casa da música- Florbela Alves

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Identification of constructive systems with functional requirements (acoustic,

thermal, ventilation and/or fire safety)

About acoustic characteristics, concert halls cannot have much absorption, needing reverberation. In fact the
materials designed for the music hall's concert hall are carefully chosen for a better acoustic development of
the room in question.

Focusing on Sala Suggia, the architect chose the old typology of Shoe-box, considering it as the best option
for concert halls.

From walls to glass typologies, all the room's materials follow the aim to reach a really good acoustic
performance. About walls, the room contains a material that performs both acoustic and thermal functions,
rubber and polyurethane foam on one side and exposed concrete on the other, causing a unique double
acoustic effect, moreover Sala Suggia has wooden diffuser panels both in the walls and on the ceiling and
they are characterised by giant veins of golden are in relief that theatrically give perspective.
Upholstered chairs also help with acoustic performance. The glazing in a room is also a material that should
be taken into account, as this is a material that reflects sound. In order to make this material a sound diffuser,
the placed (double) glass is curved, thus reflecting sound in multiple directions.

Figura 3- Vidros difusores, casa da música- Portoalities

Figura 4- painéis difusores em madeira, casa da música

Figura 5- Section, casa da música

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 Concepção construtiva e ambiental- Universidade de Coimbra- FCTUC-DARQ

Figura 5- Section, casa da música

Figura 6- Acoustic modul applied to our case of study

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 Concepção construtiva e ambiental- Universidade de Coimbra- FCTUC-DARQ

Figura 7- Propagação de fumo na sala 2 Figura 8-Contornos de temperatura num plano

central

About fire safety we found studies on the Sala 2 that is another room but characterized by similar materials
and so permormances. These two pictures show the propagation of a possible fire. This operation was made
with a simulation with software Blender and it was demonstrated that the smoke has highter temperatures
on the highter part than the bottom part.

Figura 9- azulejos applied on sala VIP

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 Concepção construtiva e ambiental- Universidade de Coimbra- FCTUC-DARQ

Advantages of the material/constructive solution

Sala Suggia is the only concert hall in the world with two walls totally made of glass. Is the only one that can
be totally covered in his magnitude only by natural light and it created a very beautiful atmosphere with the
white smooth typical light of Porto. The acoustics of the main auditorium are, admittedly, of excellence. All
cladding materials were chosen with this concern in mind: nordic pine plywood for walls and ceiling; curved
glass for compensation and divergence of sound waves; and a fabric for the chairs that mimics the human
presence up to 70% of room occupancy. In order to obtain the ideal reverberation time for a concert hall –
approximately 2 seconds – we did not need the orchestra pit and the stage tower, with which the acoustic
performance would be reduced by around 30%.

Materials and/or technical solutions on the market

These days there is a huge variety of acoustic materials on the market. However, each has its physical and
functional characteristics and can be more or less effective. Previously we talked about the existing materials
in the music house, their characteristics and their respective functions, but now, we are going to explore
these materials in the market in general. Acoustic materials are classified into different types according to
their function. Reflective materials are materials that have smoother and harder surfaces, which
consequently takes part of the incident energy to be reflected. Usually this type of material is mostly used
outdoors, because it allows external sounds to not be felt indoors. However, if used in large and empty
spaces they provoke an echo. Some examples of this type of material are tile, ceramic, wood…

On the other hand, diffusing materials spread the sound in the environment and provide greater sound
diffusion in the environment, which promotes better sound quality and uniformity. In addition to these
factors, this type of material makes it possible to keep the acoustics in the environment pleasant and echo-
free, thus being mostly used in auditoriums, for example. Some examples of this type of material are: stone,
wood paneling.

Figura 10- Lambris de madeira- Acústica ambiental

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 Concepção construtiva e ambiental- Universidade de Coimbra- FCTUC-DARQ

In addition to these two types, there are also insulating materials and absorption materials. Insulating
materials are rigid and contain a high density, thus preventing the sound transmission generated from one
environment to another. Solid brick, smooth stone, plaster, wood and glass are some examples of this type of
material. As for absorption materials, they reduce the reflection and transmission of sound, because they
absorb sound energy, in order to achieve this feat, they transform the mechanical energy of vibration into
thermal energy, and this consequently causes the reduction of the reverberation time internally, making the
ambient sound drier. These materials have a fibrous texture and are usually flexible, they are also porous and
their internal air makes the passage of sound difficult. The thickness and surface of the material will then
influence its performance, the larger the material, the better its absorption performance. Coated glass wool,
polyurethane blankets, carpets, cork upholstery and heavy curtains are good examples of this type of
material.

Figura 10- tijolo acústico Figura 9- manta de poliuretano

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 Concepção construtiva e ambiental- Universidade de Coimbra- FCTUC-DARQ

Conclusion

In conclusion we can say that Casa da Musica for sure incorporates an example to be followed in terms of
acoustic performance, joining the use of new materials in an historical contest like Porto but even referring to
an old system that showed to have indeed a good performance as the system of the shoe-box.

Although the use of natural light decreases the energy consumption, Casa da Musica in general needs a lot of
resources for its maintenance, but the kind of materials used provides an excellent performance of
propagation of the sound that is the most important requirement in a concert hall.

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 Concepção construtiva e ambiental- Universidade de Coimbra- FCTUC-DARQ

Web grafia
https://www.casadamusica.com/pt/a-casa-da-musica/a-obra/

https://pt.wikiarquitectura.com/constru%C3%A7%C3%A3o/casa-da-musica-em-oporto/

https://www.ordemengenheiros.pt/pt/centro-de-informacao/dossiers/casos-de-estudo/a-
engenharia-da-casa-da-musica/

https://se7vidas.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/casa-da-musica/

https://portoalities.com/pt/5-coisas-que-nao-sabes-sobre-casa-da-musica/

http://portalacustica.info/acustica-em-portugal-casa-de-musica-mercado-da-ribeira-e-browns-
boutique-hotel/

http://portalacustica.info/acustica-em-portugal-casa-de-musica-mercado-da-ribeira-e-browns-
boutique-hotel/

http://portalacustica.info/acustica-em-portugal-casa-de-musica-mercado-da-ribeira-e-browns-
boutique-hotel/

https://aerojr.com/blog/materiais-mais-utilizados-em-acustica-e-suas-classificacoes/

https://portalacustica.info/materiais-acusticos-o-que-sao/

researchgate.net

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