Musical Theatre
in the Mountain
Contestant: OÖ Landesregierung, Abteilung Hochbau - Landeshochbau
OPEN COMPETITON,
3. Preis
Musical Theatre in the Mountain – Hide and Expose
Situated spectacularly at the foot of the “Schloßberg Hill”, the musical theatre and opera house itself is hidden within the mountain. Rather than organizing using volumes and elevations, the design focus is entirely set on the conception and development of space, flow of people and atmosphere. Comparable to an iceberg, the music theatre in the mountain, reveals only a small part of its form to the outside landscape. Like its counterpart in nature, this building can only draw attention to the hidden volume and claim a presence in the Linz cityscape with its part visible to the outside world. An elongated component made of glass, which begins inside the mountain, juts out into the open air and offers spaces for the artists, for offices and for a restaurant.
A large wooden platform covers the rehearsal rooms, leads to the main entrance and also functions as an intersection where all paths to the theatre converge. The cantilevered ballet studios rise like a canopy over the entrance and foyer, drawing attention to the theatre space inside the mountain.
A place of drama and Catharsis
The viewer enters this place of drama and catharsis by leaving the city, the Danube and the open sky behind him. The inclination of the ceiling gradually condenses the space of the foyer towards the auditorium, the heart of the opera house and music theatre. At the entrance to the auditorium, the foyer reaches its narrowest point, swings to the right and leads at a slight incline to a glass terrace that offers a clear view of the Danube.
