Located near the Upper Franconian town of Lichtenberg lies Villa Marteau, renowned as an international meeting place for musical talent. In the early 20th century, the exceptional violinist and composer Henri Marteau commissioned Swiss architect Hans Schwab to design this villa. In 1980, the Upper Franconia district acquired the property and established a music school for young musicians.

The aging, historically protected villa required renovation and the addition of a concert hall. The commission went to Munich-based architect Peter Haimerl, known for his inspired designs. The three-story villa sits within expansive parkland and integrates harmoniously with the undulating landscape. The existing structure was largely preserved in its original condition. Only the ground floor and the new garden level underwent restructuring. The basement was lowered by 60 centimeters to achieve greater ceiling heights and create a fully functional additional story. This level accommodates three new practice rooms, a lounge, a cafeteria, and a foyer. The real sensation, however, is the new concert hall, which Peter Haimerl and his team have concealed beneath an earth covering. From the outside, everything appears unchanged—from no vantage point can one discern what volumes lie dormant beneath the surface.

Just as years before, when the architect had created considerable stir with his underground concert hall in Blaibach—praised internationally for its extraordinary acoustics—Haimerl demonstrates his mastery once again. The gently sloping hill in the park harbors this new acoustic marvel. The hall takes the form of a 13 x 13 meter parallelogram. Two side galleries accommodate 88 visitors, while the 60-square-meter stage occupies the center. From opposite walls, granite shafts appear to converge toward the ceiling's center, forming the acoustic body. Upon entering from the gently sloping passage that leads from the garden level into the concert hall, the spatial experience is overwhelming—as though stepping into a "frozen explosion," as the acoustic ceiling is frequently described. Each granite shard, reaching up to 13 meters in length, was meticulously calculated and installed with extreme care. Incorporating these 33-ton "shards" represented perhaps the most challenging operation in the concert hall's construction. Like the passage itself, the design concept echoes the region's historical mining heritage.

www.peterhaimerl.com

Photography Credits:

Edward Beierle
www.beierlegoerlich.com

(Published in CUBE Munich 04|22)