Set in Portaferry, at the mouth of Strangford Lough; critically this project moved away from context and quickly became focused on form, being led by instinctive notions of separate elements that wanted to be combined.
The first of these was the notion to dig into the ground and pushing the loose earth up, forming two contrasting spaces. There was also an interest in creating angled internal spaces that would play with light as much as sound, while still maintaining a space that would be continually open to the public to do with as they pleased.
These initial notions quickly formed into a series of pods situated at differing heights, over a void main concert space, below ground level, that is intended to be separate from the main building and continually open to the public.
With a blue-engineered brick wraparound façade, the building is introverted, with all significant windows facing the internal void, communicating with one another. This internal conversation was carried, even to the extent that one moved around the building in a circular motion rather than through and across, helping to protect and emphasise the middle core of inward reflection.
Structurally it is hoped that the pods would work in unison with each other, by forming a complete circle the pods would use the rigidity of the circular unification to lean inward, upon one another. Therefore only needing supports from the outer edges, thus allowing the basement concert area to remain free of columns.
