Pavilion 21 is a temporary stage for experimental performances of the Bavarian State Opera. This cultural module can be moved and set up anywhere in the city, providing a novel experience for artists and audiences. Its versatile design adapts to any urban space to become a cultural and artistic meeting point. The modular structure allows for easy installation and dismantling, guaranteeing temporary use of the pavilion.

As usual at Coop Himmelblau, the scheme of Pavilion 21 is gestated through a psychogram which is usually a drawing, a graphic expression freed from the restrictions that bind conventional architectural design processes. This scheme, which represents an architectural body reduced to be adaptable to any site, requires special criteria to generate the necessary conditions for good acoustics. In this case, Coop Himmelblau adopts an unusual solution by shaping the space through sound sequences.

Acoustic criteria

Coop Himmelblau has used a series of Jimi Hendrix's ‘Purple Haze’ and a passage from Mozart's ‘Don Giovanni’ to develop this project. The analysis of the frequency sections of these musical pieces has been fundamental in the evolutionary process of a three-dimensional computer-generated model. The musical sequences have been translated into pyramidal constructions through parametrics, which has allowed the acoustic space to be shaped.

The choice of ‘Purple Haze’ and ‘Don Giovanni’ is not accidental, as both pieces of music are renowned for their complexity and richness of sound. Coop Himmelblau takes advantage of these characteristics to create an architectural design that reflects the essence of the music and transforms it into a spatial experience.

The use of parametrics in the generation of the three-dimensional model has been fundamental in transforming sound sequences. This technique makes it possible to control the parameters that define the shape and structure of the space, thus guaranteeing a perfect adaptation to the established acoustic criteria.

The idea of soundscaping originates from the 1940s and distinguishes a method of composing architectural designs using musical principles and algorithms to compose resonant and sensorially enriching spaces. It is based on the idea of the significant impact that sound and music can have on the built environment and the user experience.

This concept was explored by Iannis Xenakis and Le Corbusier in the design of the ‘modulators’ in the convent of La Tourette, where they used musical patterns to determine the location and size of the windows. It was also applied in the design of the Phillips Pavilion, where a musical score was used as the basis for the arrangement of structural and spatial elements.