Musis Sacrum Arnhem
Architecturally finished doors for concert hall
After undergoing major reconstruction and renovation work, the Musis Sacrum concert hall in Arnhem was opened by Queen Máxima of the Netherlands in early 2018. The new building is not only more spacious, it has also been harmonised with the historic section and the park-like surroundings. With its enormous sliding glass wall, it is even possible to hold open-air concerts. The acoustics and fire safety of the building were important factors. Merford provided advice and designed and delivered the acoustic and fire-resistant doors.
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Musis Sacrum
Dongen-Koschuch Architects and Planners were responsible for renovating the historic building dating from 1847, which has since undergone several refurbishments. The project involved the renovation of the historic Muzen Hall and the construction of the new Park Hall. The existing and new section are connected by a shared plinth.
Multifunctional Park Hall
Besides incorporating the building into the surrounding area, the interior of Park Hall was an important point for attention. This multifunctional hall must be able to host a wide range of genres, from classical to pop, requiring variable acoustics. The design and finishing of the space are therefore crucial. The ‘lean’ design and build team conducted various tests and had a model of the entire hall built on a scale of 1:10. Due to the short amount of time between the contract being awarded and its execution, the team conducted weekly talks with Merford as one of the partners.
Acoustic doors
Park Hall has wooden wall finishes and acoustic doors in an architectural style. To meet the acoustic and architectural conditions, plus a requirement for fire resistance at certain locations, Merford Special Doors created a mock-up of a prototype in the preliminary stage. ‘The prototype was not only tested for the performance requirements drawn up by Peutz, but also in terms of the design,’ says Bob Damen from Merford. ‘In all, we supplied around 100 door leaves, with unique finishes, including wood and even brass. The doors of Park Hall are covered with the same wooden finish as the walls of the hall and are also part of the overall acoustic package. Obviously, that involved quite a few adjustments. After all, these are large packages on which we also installed the window frames and hinges.’
Reverberation time
Another aspect that Merford needed to take into account was the movable floor. Damen explains: ‘The acoustic design for Park Hall goes so far that the height of the floor is adjustable so that it is possible to influence the reverberation time. That meant that the height of various acoustic doors had to be dividable. The lower section of about 50 cm high can be separated from the upper part of the door to allow access to the hall regardless of the position of the floor. We also supplied a number of fire-resistant sliding doors for the compartmentalisation of the foyer and fitted the renovated Muzen Hall with acoustic doors. All in all, this was a wonderful project for us, achieved entirely with customised products.’
Golden Phoenix architecture prize
The renovated Musis Sacrum concert hall in Arnhem won the coveted NRP Golden Phoenix architecture prize in the Renovation category. Renovation is the category for many renovated buildings that have regained a demonstrable, sustainable future value, whilst retaining their original function.
In May, Musis was also awarded the biannual Heuvelink prize for the best new building in Arnhem in 2018, as well as Building of the Year for 2018 in the Identity and Iconic Value category. Shortly after its commissioning, the new Musis Park Hall was also nominated for the ARC17 Detail Award and the 2017 Concrete Prize.
Golden Phoenix jury on Musis Sacrum:
‘The phenomenal quality of this project lies in the sustainable connections that have been made between the building and the city, the interior and the exterior, old and new, bringing together two totally different buildings in a yin and yang composition.’
