Rudolf Buchbinder hall Grafenegg

The Grafenegg Festival is among Europe's most important classical music festivals and the Rudolf Buchbinder, for whom the concert hall is named, is one of the most prominent pianists of our time. The conversion of the Grafenegg riding school into a concert hall for the festival is therefore subject to high demands, both structurally and artistically.
 The riding school was destroyed during World War II and has never been reconstructed to its original from. Due to regulations on heritage protections, the historic façade is to be preserved while the interior may be re-envisioned in a modern aesthetic.
 The Rudolf Buchbinder Hall is planned as a structurally independent ensemble within the existing walls of the riding school, applying the highest acoustic requirements for chamber music concerts. At the same time, the hall is also well-suited for other activities, including conferences or lectures.
 The original structure thus becomes a bejewelled case, which is now being reworked to receive a new interior lining in the form of a concert hall. Worlds of sound modulate across the walls and ceilings. The shaped wall and ceiling panels disperse the sound and give the room a unique character. As daylight plays across the surfaces of the Rudolf Buchbinder Hall, various scenes emerge and disappear within the harmonized sculptural surfaces. The light in the room can be fully darkened using adjustable window shutters.
 The side extension can be seen as a kind of garden pavilion. Its narrow and elongated two-story structure curves in and away from the detached riding hall. The colour scheme of the outbuilding recedes beyond the existing trees. The refraction of sound in the interior finds its analogue in the refraction of light on the exterior.