HHM

Status: competition, 2014
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Program: Hungarian House of Music (HHM) building, Liget.
Space: 11 406 m²
Team: Vytautas Biekša, Rokas Kilčiauskas, Marius Kanevičius, Eglė Matulaitytė, Dovilė Krikščiūnaitė, Iva Buršic, Larisa Ecimovic

The design of the Hungarian House of Music (HHM) building in the City Park of Budapest aims to uncover the potential of the site and create accessible vibrant space for public’s interaction challenging the conventional typology of the exhibition spaces for thematic museums. The program of the HHM is split into two main parts: public areas that are based on the ground level and the exhibition level is suspended above. The horizontally open space determines the critical aspect of the HHM design – the public interaction (for visitors and local dwellers). On the eastern side stepped hill like volume containing sound dome, museum shop and entrance to public utilities (wardrobes, toilets) also serves as the main access route to the exhibition level. The stepped volume of the hill provides seating for the cafeteria with a view towards the lake and serves as open-air amphitheater next to the main entrance. HHM proposal is based on the idea of suspense. The elevated volume containing HHM exhibition halls consists of 5×5 m grid in which the exhibition content is presented in front of the visitor leaving the the top-down (vertical) connection open to the surroundings. The grid is constructed using intersecting 7 m height 65 m long laminated wood composite panels. The grid provides basic rhythm with exhibition space cells for individual themes or experiences (sound effects, music instruments, etc.). The larger concave exhibition spaces are subtracted from the grid structure creating sound wave shaped voids.