Design for a mixed-occupancy cultural building on the campus of TU Eindhoven that focuses on the acoustic experience of spaces.

Archicoustics places acoustics at centre stage instead of regarding them as a by-product of a design process. It is about the relationship between sound and space that we know from the Ancient Greeks. Archicoustics explores archetypical acoustic conditions that define spatially new departure-points. These are fundamental to the look of the different acoustic chambers in the building. This elevates extreme acoustic conditions to positive qualities. A stack of 12 acoustic chambers each with its own particular acoustic condition are organized vertically and follow an increase in the spatial experience of sound within Archicoustics.

The acoustics building stands in the grounds of Eindhoven University of Technology close to Central Station and the outer urban ring of development. Archicoustics hitches together a network of artistes, academics and students, of which a share is already active on campus. It works as a mediator between culture, education and the world of trade and industry. Amidst the urban static Archicoustics provides a moment of silence with a public air about it. The acoustic chambers variously point up this largely subterranean moment of silence. To this end the programme is supplemented with a foyer, shop and archive taken up in the cavities between the acoustic chambers. The 'acoustically dead' plaza at ground level is open to the public and contains the entrance to Archicoustics. An existing cycle and pedestrian way crosses this plaza. It is also the start of a public route to the building's roof which is given over to a permanent exhibition on sound and architecture.

Typologically, Archicoustics occupies the border zone between a laboratory (research), a stage (expression), an exhibition area (participation) and an archive (conservation). This convergence of duties challenges users to revise their ideas about acoustics. Inside Archicoustics, a public route leading from the above-ground plaza space stitches the various levels together. All acoustic chambers can be used individually for research or performance. The route means that the shop, foyer and archive can be visited at all times. A complete circuit featuring the acoustic chambers can be organized at each level, giving a free floor area for putting on exhibitions. Besides mounting dedicated shows, Archicoustics will put its own archive on display. Given this range of activities the building will attract many users during the day as well. Archicoustics thereby invites everyone to take part.

Place of education: AvB Rotterdam | Specialization: architecture | Tutors: Douwe Boonstra, René Pijnenburg, Paul Panhuysen, Jeroen Vugts