Dubrovnik Concert Hall Part 1 Project 2008 Hazel McEvoyIain King University of Strathclyde | UK The brief was to design two auditoriums, one for orchestral symphoniesand another for chamber music. Situated in the historic city of Dubrovnik. The site is nestled in to the hill with views to the Adriatic. Maintaining a strong connection to the earth, our auditoriums are the only interruptions to the landscape, with the foyer occupying the space between. This atmospheric foyer with its sweeping roof frames views to the sea; a public space with a series of steps for interaction and contemplation, you get the occasionalglimpse down into the underbelly; artists practicing, performers rushing to the stage, while the sound of laughter mingles with the drifts of music from beneath...The ambition of the project was to create a contemporary landmark for Dubrovnik but also to extend this idea of a landmark building and create a more contextual form of architecture, sympathetic to its location. Although the two ideas may seem to conflict, the success of the project relies on the balance of context and function. The project is comprised of symbolic, semi – abstract forms, internally and externally. It was decided that the building, partly due to its scale, should be set back away from the old town. By removing it from the road edge it gives the project more prominence.Contextually it takes its cue partly from its neighbours, from history and landscape. The main auditorium is dominant and monolithic within the composition, with the small auditorium more buried into the landscape. The walls of the auditoriums have been utilised not only for structure but also to accommodate circulation and general facilities. The materials were chosen to reflect the site and the solidity and structure of the scheme; concrete where it was needed for strength, steel and glass where the structure is light.Corten steel was used as a contrast to the grey solidity of the main auditorium and to suggest perhaps a less sombre space.More significantly, the building as well as its landscaping attempts to reflect, complement, enhance and demonstrate those ideas, opinions and events of a modern concert hall within its very design. Hazel McEvoyIain King