CKK Jordanki en Torún

Multifunctional Concert Hall “Jordanki”

Awards: 2008 Competition 1st Prize  /  2010 Winner of Future Cultural Project at the World Architecture Festival (WAF)

Architects: Fernando Menis

Location: Torún. Poland. 53°00’50.0″N 18°36’06.0″E

Use: Cultural

Structure: Reinforced concrete

Materials: White concrete and red brick

Client: Municipality of Torun

Total built area: 21.837 m2

Budget: 51.025.731 euros

Status: Competition 2008, Project 2011. Construction 2011-2015

Day of inauguration: 12th December 2015

Description:

The Jordanek plot is located between the UNESCO protected Torún’s old town and the new development area of the city. Thus, the Municipality of Torún required a building, which inserted into a wider programme, could integrate, improve and sustain the cultural and natural landscape of the city. The half of the plot is planned as a park since the proximity of the green area requires a free wide space. Regardless, the panoramic view from the river, often referred to as the second “miracle” of architecture and landscape in Poland, must remain untouched. Therefore, the height of the Music Hall must be as low as possible in order to do not damage the beauty of the nature.

Multifunctional Concert Hall “Jordanki” in Torun offers a solution for the fusion between old and new. The materials for the construction are selected carefully in order to complement to the idea. Bricks for the interior are used as a recall of the facades of the old town, whereas the exterior is formed out of very clear, almost white concrete. Besides, some parts of the exterior are “broken” by some cracks, which reveal the interior coating. The façade reinterprets the traditional handicraft of the bricks and establishes a parallel between the tectonics of the city and the strategic situation of the plot. The two colours – red and white – are also a way for outlining the relation between the traditional use of bricks and the technology and modernity of new urban developments. “Jordanki” is another example of Fernando Menis architects capabilities to combine the flow of nature with innovations of today.