Light-Up Beyond the Boundaries

Music & Art Center at Moratuwa

• Name: Ruksala Siriwansa
• Year: 2016
• Studio: Level III
• University: University of Moratuwa

Music and art Centre is a place for providing spaces for music performances, rehearsals, exhibition areas & recording areas.

Project justification

“Music and art are universal languages. They are available for anybody who is seeking liberation for their fatigued lives as a psychological medication. This community based music & art Centre follows this deep stipulation which is going beyond the physical and social boundaries and it provides a hub for everybody to taste music and art.”

The core idea of this design deeply touches a social background in Moratuwa and it endeavors to make a social combination. Moratuwa is a combination of a various social ethic groups. Most of the people do carpentry, fishery and business as their occupation. Their life style can be identified as a simple but enjoyable lifestyle. So many fabulous creations are born by their hands but they don’t see them as creations but as commercially valuable things. So this music & art center is a place for these creators to taste the aesthetic without any social or physical barriers. Most of the evening times village people who belongs to various social groups come to this place and sit on the same bench and appreciate the same melody. That is the dignity I see in the aesthetic and effect of a design to the people where architecture combine the social levels, human life, aesthetic and nature.

Conceptual idea

• Functional approach:

Overt function: performing music & art.

Covert function: music and art school/convertible gallery space/ exhibition hall, museum space.

• Form:

Simple form and local materials such as concrete, timber, steel are used to make the building familiar with the village people and city character. But Informal shaped roof is used to create an inviting character in the building. Lightweight roof structure tries to enhance the idea of sustainability and adds to the openness of the design. It has two parts. Retractable roof is in the middle of the roof surrounded by a permanent roof structure. When retractable roof is opened it seems like an open air theatre. It makes the sense of nature at the evening time near the lake and sitting under the sky roof with feeling the aesthetic.

• Linkage:

Building openings create linkages with streets/ pathways & continue the pedestrian movements. Building is located at a junction and tow facades are faced to the road, rear façade is faced to the Bolgoda Lake and another façade is faced to a neighbor building. Building makes two linkages between the rood and the lake side avenue. Pedestrians get an enjoyable experience on their way through the building with shopping, listening to melodies, seeing performances, resting and quenching the hunger and thirsty.

• Openings:

This building is too much openness to emphasis the building activities to the outside and make an inviting character but with protecting the acoustic levels inside the building by convertible acoustic panels. Too much openness protects the safety in a public space.

• Levels: define various functions.

This is a 4 story building. In the lower ground floor there are the Theatre, changing rooms, and a rehearsal space. The heart of the building is an unusual theatre. At the performing time whole building becomes a single theatre with all the spaces in all floors concentrates to the theatre. So anybody can watch performances from balcony areas without paying.  But as to the requirement of the performance it can be converted to an enclosed space by openable interlocking acoustic panels. Theater space is also a convertible space. Retractable chairs are used to make the sitting area as a useful space when there isn’t performance for various functions such as, dance classes, music practices, yoga classes etc. Rehearsal space is an openable space to the outdoor and can be used as a small open air theatre.

In the upper ground floor works as a public space. There are the main entrance, lobby, cafeteria, and shops. Entrance opens to a large lobby with a triple height atrium space. Shops mainly contained painting items and music instruments. Cafeteria is located at the lake side to get the maximum view and it’s opened to the all public.

Administration and gallery space are taken to the first floor. Administration area is closed to the entrance and so people can easily accessed. Exhibition area is a convertible space and located at the corner side to get the maximum view. Acoustic panels cover the place but it can be opened as windows.

Studding area is taken to the second floor in order to get the maximum view and make isolate from the public. Art studios, music studios, recording rooms, performing areas and rehearsal spaces are located with getting the best view and giving maximum priority to the freedom. Except the recording rooms whole the building is designed to get the natural ventilation and blend with the beautiful sceneries of the nature.