Swiss Sound Box - Swiss Pavilion Expo 2000Peter Zumthor 1996-2000

Swiss Sound Box, Switzerland’s entry in Expo 2000 in Hanover, was designed accordingly with the exposition’s theme, “Man, Nature and Technology”, which Zumthor interpreted into a concept of sustainability. The most remarkable feature of the structure is the walls that consist of 118 individual stacks that are held together with post-tensioning cables and linking planks between four walls, that make up the basis of the modularity followed throught the whole design. No glue or nails have been used to links any wall.

The structure functions as an acoustic space created by the material’s quality and the height of each wall. Performance spaces coexist in the plan and the acoustics of the structure creates a harmony between multiple music performances without any dissonance that visitors could experience while strolling through the bays as part of “Gesamtkunstwerk”, or a “total work of art”.

The idea of entanglement persists throughout the whole structure, from the basket-weave plan and the walls of transversely stacked timbers and planks, to the acoustic experience of multiple musical performances. Therefore the design relies entirely on technical and conceptual parameters that follow each other in a cyclical manner.

The structure was dissasembled and recycled after the Expo as a continuation of the theme after the pavilion lost its function as an attraction.

Övgü NurözlerMuye Ma

ARCH 303Precedent Study

1

Section AA

1 x 1.5 m unreinforced concrete foundation

400 x 200 mm foundation plate

50 x 800 bottom tensile plank

tensile cable

100 x 200 mm plank

45 x 600

250 x 1000 top tensile plate

tensile springs

50 x 150 mm stacking timber

45 x 45 mm stacking timber

45 x 45 mm stacking timber

100 x 1700 mm plank

At a height of 8.68 metres (with a shrink-age by 17 cm due to post-tensioning) the whole structure relies on a 4 wall module that responds to lateral forces on individual walls by allowing a certain de ection to happen and recover original position due to the reactionary forces from three other walls.

Natural ventilation is created through the high ratio of the height of the walls to the bays between two walls, that creates a weak wind tunnel dampened by the gap between individual stacks. The wall module was designed to oscillate with the wind forces.

The whole structure blocks daylight through metal shades on the planks that hold each module toether.

The slight gap between the walls and the shades along with no speci c protection from rainwater is an elaborate design that lets the wood interact naturally with the weather.

2Övgü NurözlerMuye Ma

ARCH 303Precedent Study

Programming

Initial design: basket weave arrangement of each module

+ + +

service spaces spreading strategy to make place for service spaces spatial hierarchy: priority of

performance spaces three modules of spaces assignment and adjustment of each module

circulationperformance spacesdining spaces

mainentrance

assignment of service spaces

circulation diningperformance

south entrance

east entrance

main pathway

Spontaneous gaps that occur as a result of assigning service spaces create advantageous circulation spots that afford a more comfortable transition between modules.

The rst of the three gaps has been placed near the main entrance for a smoother tran-sition, where the visitor can choose to go to either a performance or a dining space, or stroll between the performance spaces through multiple music shows.

Övgü NurözlerMuye Ma

ARCH 303Precedent Study

3

Site PlanStructure Plan

The Expo site was situated on the original 1,000,000 square meters of the Hanover fairground; an additional 600,000 m² spcce was also created as a newly-opened section to the grounds. The Sound Box Pavilion was located in the southeast of the Expo Site. The main street is in the southwest of the pavilion, however people could access the building from any direction.

The building plan illuatrates the high consistency of slightly adjusted modules that rely on a system of a weave. The permeable structure of the walls afforded a wide-range enjoyment of the musical performances.

Övgü NurözlerMuye Ma

ARCH 303Precedent Study

4

1. Three Modules:

3. Circulation From One Entrance

Circulation: functions purely as a two-way pass betweenentrances and functioning modules. Elongation of individual modules, either horizontal or vertical.

Performance space: functions as a narrow corridor with benches for performers, is a dynamic space that is created by elongating vertical modules. Lack of space forces a circulation that supports the acoustic experience of multiple performances

Dining spaces:a stationary module in the circulation network with more space where vistors can stay longer without blocking the visitor traffic.

Comfortable circulation nodes afforded by the spontaneous gaps created through shifting modules to make space for supply units, enable shorter routes between modules compared to the routes around supply units.

No hierarchy in general circulationin the open-ended plan. Entrances also funtion as exits. No clear pathway is visible because of the dual function entrances as also exits. Corridors exits only in modules and not between them, which creates in nitelypossible routes through the circulation network.

2. Advantageous Circulation Nodes

Övgü NurözlerMuye Ma

ARCH 303Precedent Study

5

Circulation