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From Wood to Architecture | Sibelius Hall Congress and Concert Centre

Lahti, Finland, 2000.

Design: Kimnmo Lintula and Hannu Tikka

Sibelius Hall Congress and Concert Centre is located on a waterfront site formerly occupied by the woodworking industry. The principal facilities are housed in the new building and some in refurbished existing structures. The old buildings are linked with the concert hall by a transparent entrance hall.

The new building is monumental in its exterior shape, while the interior is characterised by its small scale, generated by furnishings and the detailing of timber joints. The entrance hall, called the Forest Hall, is inspired by the airiness of a pine forest, it opens serenely towards the west, the evening sun and the lake scenery. This area, marked by spatial clarity, acts as a foyer, exhibition and banqueting facility, and is the hub of the concert and congress centre. The loadbearing structure of the Forest Hall consists of a timber space frame supported by nine glulam columns - a system of branches carrying the timber panels of the roof. There is also a raised gallery in the foyer, an airy bridge structure supported by glulam beams.

The auditorium seats 1,250 persons. It is bounded by reverberation chambers, which can be used to control the reverberation time. The public is directed to the seating via these wooden "cathedrals". The timber structures of the auditorium are unique. The loadbearing structure consists of glulam portal frames, between which are LVL timber panels filled with graded dry sand. In this way the timber structure has gained mass equal to a concrete structure. The exterior surface of the auditorium building consists of a plywood wall, with a translucent finish, encapsulated within a skin structure of glass and timber.

The seminar and rehearsal rooms as well as the artists' foyer are located in the water-side wing, offering the most beautiful views towards the west over the lake.

Photos: Mikko Auerniitty, Voitto Niemelä