Archidust Journal

Snøhetta has won the invited competition for a Music Academy and a kindergarten in Leipzig, Germany. The new buildings will be centrally located on a big open space just south of the disused “Bayrischer Bahnhof” (Bavarian Railway Station).

The project treats these new buildings as pavilions in the park, merging architecture and landscape. The building’s volumes are adapted to the urban context of their surroundings, mediating with the adjacent urban quarters characterized by their heterogenous architecture.

Initiated by the renowned Gewandhausorchester, The Music Academy consists of two buildings, the Music Lab and an apartment building for artists in residence. Designed for experimentation, the Music Lab features rehearsal space for music students and bands as well as a 200-seat concert hall. The concert hall can be opened to the surrounding park, allowing visitors to listen to concerts in an amphitheatre.

The kindergarten will accommodate for 165 children. The three-storey building nestles into the terrain, giving the children access to open spaces on each floor.

The project aspires to be extremely energy and resource efficient. The Music Lab and apartments are mainly timber construction and clay plays an important role in the design of the kindergarten.