By Editor Design.nl / 28-10-2010

It took three years of planning and another four months of renovation works, but the Muziekgebouw (Music Hall) in Eindhoven was christened this Saturday during the Dutch Design Awards. 

Together with Philips Ambient Experience, design duo Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe have aimed to create a venue  that is completely in tune with the needs of its visitors. "The fact that we were involved from start to finish, from façade to coffee cup design, was just great," says Miriam van der Lubbe. From the moment the visitor approaches the music hall, the influence of the designers is apparent in the leaning glass façade. The 25-metre high frontage lends a view into the foyer which features a sweeping ambient wall several metres long and covered in thousands of LEDs, courtesy of Philips.

During the day visitors are welcomed into the foyer where they can enjoy a coffee from the specially designed porcelain cups and saucers. These feature illustrations in keeping with the colours chosen for the interior. "Everything came from the one concept, to design a good experience and quality time for the visitor," stated Van der Lubbe. The ambient wall meanwhile shows films, works of art and even concerts, enticing the viewer to visit a concert or show.

For the early birds waiting for a show there are the so-called 'listening chairs' designed specially for the Music Hall and featuring an integrated audio system. Here, visitors can listen to their favourite music without the hindrance of background noise. Other seating comprises multi-functional furniture for the foyer and special 'duo chairs' which have an original built-in, ambient lighting system.

The walls in the Music Hall have been left mostly white − with a few exceptions in the changing rooms − furniture and backlighting provide necessary splashes of colour. A creative solution was also found for the distracting empty seats during shows, as each chair has a slightly different colour and hue, from the stage they resemble people and a full house every time.

Click on images to enlarge.

Photography: Frank Tielemans

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