betillon / dorval bory: acoustic composition

‘acoustic composition’ by betillon / dorval-bory, jurmala, latvia all images courtesy of betillon / dorval-bory

paris-based architectural practice betillon / dorval-bory have proposed ‘acoustic composition’, a hotel dedicated to the cultural music environment of jurmala, latvia. encompassed with pine trees, the site is particularly conducive to producing a pleasant audible atmosphere, offering background sounds comprised of a mixture of wind through foliage, the crashing water on the sand and caws of seagulls. the structure is formed with a 6.6 meter framework with an integrated grid of balconies which creates rational spatial divisions within the building. a hollow volume placed in the center of the cube becomes a neutral space to channel sound waves through open-air trapezoidal tunnels.

exterior

the guest rooms are placed at the ground and upper levels while public spaces are housed within and adjacent to the void. marble with a textured finish of three-dimensional trapezoids surfaces the internal walls to reduce reverberations within the spaces. floors in the middle contain restaurants, conference rooms and spas while elevated terraces include a swimming pool. four auditoriums are placed on the top face of the crisscrossed voids with the seating oriented to face each other.

recreational grounds

trapezoidal marble application strategically surfaces the exterior

lobby

central void

elevated terraces adjacent to central void

hotel room bathroom

hotel room dining area

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1

floor plan / level 2

floor plan / level 3

floor plan / level 4

hotel room plans / sections

sectional perspective

axonometric of site

axonometric

marble wall applications

acoustical diagrams

project info:

title: acoustic composition type: music themed hotel competition – 2nd prize location: jurmala, latvia year: 2011 area: 9500 m² client: hotelliesma architect: betillon / dorval-bory (nicolas dorval-bory & raphaël bétillon) assistants: erin durno, julie arnaud