Arvo Pärt CentreLaulasmaa near Tallinn, 2014Cultural buildings

“I work with very few elements - with one voice, withtwo voices. I build with the most primitive materials - withthe triad, with one specific tonality.”

Arvo Pärt’s unassuming yet powerful description of hismusical architecture lays the foundation stone for ourdesign approach: to stimulate the three components ofthis project - nature, architecture and music - to resonatein one and the same key. In our design for the Arvo PärtCentre, we have reinterpreted the omnipresent triadinterval underlying so much of Arvo Pärt’s music, to helpgenerate a clear and rigorous organising principle thatinforms the layout of the plan. What emerges is a clearlydefined, closely related set of spaces, each with aparticular function, yet all anchored in one specifictonality. In adopting Pärt’s musical triad and transfiguringit into a graphic element - a triangle, with theproportions 1: 2:?�5 - we have also rotated, shifted andaggregated this single initial entity. Since this particulartriangle’s geometry may be infinitely subdivided intoidentical units, or fractals, its inherent structure isanalogous to the regular progression of oscillationsfound in the harmonics of a single pure note. Transposedinto three-dimensional space, the same geometry breedsa series of discrete ...

Arvo Pärt CentreLaulasmaa near Tallinn, 2014Cultural buildings

crystal-like volumes, or tones: the building’s ‘melody’.The Centre is aligned close to the western boundaryto take advantage of the plot’s topography, hoveringover the edge of a small incline, which offers itself asa natural amphitheatre. Approaching from the carpark, the visitor follows a meandering woodlandpath that joins up with a timber boardwalk: more anarchitectural promenade than a direct, prescriptiveroute. The first-time visitor takes this route to reach themain entrance, but regulars will be tempted to picktheir own way across the forest to other entrances orto the chapel. Due to the geometry of the building,the visitor’s perception of it changes constantly,according to the angle of approach.

Once inside, an orchestrated sequence of spacessets the visitor off on a journey of discovery: throughthe open public spaces before arriving at the moreprivate areas, which are dedicated to the archive,creative rooms, and the common room. A furtherinternal route penetrates a more intimate area of thebuilding, reserved for Pärt’s family and friends. Here,as a direct counterpoint to the small chapel locatedopposite, an ‘ascending room’ awaits. Powered bya ...

Arvo Pärt CentreLaulasmaa near Tallinn, 2014Cultural buildings

cogwheel mechanism this equivocal, simply furnishedchamber silently lifts its occupants from the forest floorup to a height of some 20 metres. From this vantagepoint, above the tree canopy, the vista openstowards the sea on both sides: a tower for music,stargazing or contemplative solitude.

Technical details:

Typology: Cultural buildingsProcurement documentation: CompetitionService phases (HOAI): 1