QMEK – QuestLab of Music Experimentation in Kalamaria

Student : Ioanna Psatha
Supervisor: Sarantis Zafeiropoulos
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Presentation date : 14 February 2013

The project is about the creation of a Music Center in Kalamaria, which is located in the southeast side of Thessaloniki. The aim was to design an urban space that would accommodate young musicians (mostly expertised in classical music), from other cities or countries, for a short period of time.

The musicians could work, even in group or individually, upon a music play and present their work indoors or outdoors. Additionally, another goal was to make the building a reference point for the area, a recognizable landmark, as it is placed in a hub of Kalamaria with a view to the sea.

After analyzing the principles of the music theory and converting them to architectural moves, I found the harmony needed to a design inspired by music and also the balance between the morphology and the typology of the plan.

The Laboratory of Music Experimentation consists of guest houses, with a total capacity of 50 persons (whole Symphony Orchestra), rehearsal rooms, gathering place (lounge-library) and concert hall for up to 200 people. It was created a complex of buildings, instead of a big one and the spaces were divided into them depending on the level of privacy required by their function. The complex of buildings, which is situated at a lower ground level, frames a public urban plaza that gives visitors an outdoor musical experience. Thus, the decline of soil achieves the protection of the complex by the noise of the streets and the creation of a square that enables isolation, concentration and enjoyment of sound.

The floor plan is characterized by the linearity that refers to the morphology of the piano and its keys. But when we see the side views, the piano keys acquire motion and a slope in order to give the impression of a double curvature, which was the initial design idea.

Finally, I chose the right external and internal materials and coatings, the proper planting for the plaza and the planted roofs and I designed the street furniture for the free spaces.