Music school for people with disabilites - Mowbray | Cape Town

The aim of this project was to create an innovative music school for people with disabilties. The design caters for a music theatre, two bedroom units, 2 bedroom units, office space, board room, classrooms, practice rooms and a cafeteria. The site is located on the corner of Klipfontein road and Hill Park lane adjacent to the Liesbeek River. The buld coverage of the building is 5200 square meters

Conceptual Design
The concept of musical Journey is one of motion, therefore the overlaying ideas of acoustics in motion and music in time directs the evolution of the design through movement of structure and form that follow the function. The idea of time and space allow flexibility in the overall scheme. With the incorporation of education the intensity of rise and fall will come into play and partner with sound as a formal determinate of space.

The conceptual designs for this project started with the exploration of movement and expression of sound. Through these drawings a pattern started to emerge of a conical presence. The overlapping of sound and acoustics creates low, mid and high regions as does music

Sound explodes in three different phases, therefore the idea of the 3 different forms and spaces. The first phase is the direct perception, the second is a reflected perception and finally the third is the echo phase. Many designers attempt to isolate or delete most of echo and yet sometimes the echo is needed to enhance the sound in itself. The time it takes sound to propagate is extremely quick. Sound travels at 344 ft. per second and therefor the layout of the design must compliment this occurrence. By designing with the idea of circulation the sound is allowed to respond by using its own attributes. The sound is not corrected to the space but the space is designed for the sound. The site was allowing for the building to respond to the environment as well as the function for which it is intended, once the sound is manipulated the design is obscured and sound engineering takes over.