Architect: Coop Himmelb(l)au

House of Music in Aalborg, Denmark

Unique design and acoustics for a prestigious landmark

House of Music in Aalborg is the cultural center of the town in the northern part of Denmark. This impressive piece of architecture is designed by the world renowned Austrian architect Coop Himmelb(l)au.

In order to fulfill the buildings musical purpose and to design elegant yet functional rooms, the design team had great emphasis on acoustics. In collaboration with Artec Consultants, a lot of time was invested in creating the right acoustic environment – not just for the larger concert hall but also the surrounding rooms.

For the rehearsal rooms, classrooms and other functional areas, Coop Himmelb(l)au were looking for a demountable ceiling with a uniform look, where the perforations would stretch all the way to the edge.

We took the challenge upon us and developed what is now known as the Unity series with different perforation designs to edge. For the House of Music, we designed Contur Unity with round perforations which give optimised reverberation with a suitable degree of sound absorption and sound reflection. This makes it possible for musicians and their teachers to hear music correctly. 

  • Rehearsal rooms at House of Music, Aalborg by Coop Himmelb(l)au. More about Contur Unity
  • House of Music, Aalborg by Coop Himmelb(l)au. More about Contur Unity
  • House of Music, Aalborg by Coop Himmelb(l)au
  • The main concert hall of the House of Music, Aalborg by Coop Himmelb(l)au. The acoustic walls in the hall are made of gypsum fibre boards by Knauf Design. In total 170,000 different pieces were glued to create a unique acoustic effect.