Musica Tivoli

A multifunctional complex with the most modern concert hall/opera house in Slovenia

Musica Tivoli is our biggest and most ambitious project. At the same time it is a project of a kind that Slovenia has never had before. Musica Tivoli is designed as a multifunctional complex at the very heart of the Slovenian capital, with an emphasis on the state-of-the-art concert hall and opera house. This will be an iconic project, a generator of cultural creation and accompanying activities that will raise Ljubljana to a higher level of recognisability and attractiveness, and also of competitiveness with regard to other European capital cities. With Musica Tivoli we will give the city and the country as a whole new future. Musica Tivoli will stand on the site of the old Kolizej building, which over time has lost its functionality and value. In order to obtain the best spatial planning and architectural solutions, the Carniolan Investment Company organised an international competition in 2004. The design unanimously chosen by the jury was submitted by Dutch architects Neutelings Riedijk of Rotterdam. With the help of the chosen architects and other planners and internationally recognised experts, a unique project, a future landmark, has been developed over the last few years.

Ljubljana needs new premises for high culture

Ljubljana, one of the capitals of the European Union, falls into the category of "second cities" of the urban 21st century, in other words metropolitan areas with fewer than 500,000 inhabitants. Its size, transparency and security make it attractive to the creative class, the motor of universal progress and innovation, for which modern cities and societies compete. A vital part of urban life is the culture created by part of the creative class, for which it needs suitable premises or facilities.

What sort of premises can Ljubljana offer for the needs of high culture? Almost everything dates from the late 19th or early 20th century (the Philharmonic Society, the Provincial Theatre – today's Opera House, the German Theatre – today's SNG Drama, the National Museum, the National Gallery), a period that was of key importance for the development of national identity, all for the needs of the city with a population of approximately 40,000, in other words with approximately 400 seats in each building. In the period that followed, the only exception is the construction of Cankarjev Dom, with its multiple halls, in the 1970s. This is insufficient, however, for the present-day requirements of the capital of a modern country, let alone the capital of a European Union member.

A "golden age" of development outside our borders

The situation outside the borders of Slovenia is very different – we are in fact witnessing a "golden age" of the construction of new opera houses, theatres and concert halls, designed by the finest architects of the age (Herzog & de Meuron, Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster, etc.), buildings which shift the borders of form and acoustics and become charismatic focal points of cities and generators of tourism, the new economy, economic prosperity and social revitalisation.

Since 1995 more than 40 new theatres, opera houses and concert halls have been built in Europe, all of them attempting to create the perfect balance of form and acoustics. Their construction also increases the number of visitors, because modern architecture speaks to, attracts and animates a younger audience, allowing them to discover the beauties of classical music and stage productions and shows of other kinds. In the rapidly growing cultural and creative sector (with high added value), which in the developed world is developing significantly faster than the rest of the economy, Ljubljana and Slovenia need new opportunities to improve economic and social development, create jobs and improve competitiveness. Culture is an economic factor, a factor of social integration. It creates the identity of the nation and promotes it in the global fields of culture and tourism. The construction of a large new concert hall/opera house will represent a new step forward in the promotion of Ljubljana and Slovenia as a cultural magnet within central Europe.

The architectural appearance of the complex, the banqueting rooms and terraces above the roofs of the surrounding buildings, and access from underground car parks will offer visitors the comfort they expect and demand when attending events in the modern world. Audiences will not only come from Ljubljana, which today has a population of 300,000. In view of the existing motorway network, potential visitors can be found anywhere within a radius of 200 kilometres, in other words a total of approximately 5 million. With this project – a generator of cultural creation and accompanying activities – Ljubljana will become a leading centre in the region and will move up to a higher level of recognisability and attractiveness, in this way increasing its competitiveness with regard to other European capital cities.

The Musica Tivoli project

The development of a new concert hall and opera house is a unique project both in terms of the programme and with regard to its appearance and purpose. On the basis of this vision, and with the aim of achieving not only first-class content and premises but also architectural superlatives, in this way placing Ljubljana firmly on the map of world architecture, some of the world's most prominent experts in the field of building concert halls, opera houses and theatres were invited to take part in the project, among them GCA (German Consulting Associates), one of the top consultancies for the planning and construction of theatres, concert halls, opera houses, conference centres, etc. in Europe and indeed the world.

The Musica Tivoli project is a multifunctional complex consisting of five segments:
• Grand Hotel Opera: net area 16,358 m2, gross area 20,531 m2, 160 suites, category: 5 star
• Villa Opera: net area 3,205 m2, gross area 5,252 m2, 15 apartments, 32 parking spaces
• Office building: net area 6,031 m2, gross area 7,525 m2
• Garage parking: net area 18,143 m2, gross area 18,782 m2, 468 parking spaces, 4 underground levels
• Concert hall/opera house: net area 16,099 m2, gross area 20,633 m2, 1,675 seats for concerts and 1,565 seats for operas.

Location and site of Musica Tivoli – a new generator of city centre development

The site of the old Kolizej building, where Musica Tivoli will stand, lies within Ljubljana's inner ring road and is bounded by Tivolska Cesta, Gosposvetska Cesta, Puharjeva Ulica and Župančičeva Ulica. The continuation of the last-named street links the site to the cultural and political core of the city centre. Along this axis we find the National Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art, the opera house, the National Museum, the parliament building and, across Republic Square, Cankarjev Dom and the SNG Drama national theatre. With the building of new out-of-town shopping centres offering competitive prices and easy accessibility, the city centre has for a long time been slowly dying. In recent years, however, we have seen a revitalisation and a fresh understanding of the role of the capital city and its centre. Only new generators of development will allow the city centre new growth and reanimation. With suitable content, the Kolizej site, which the new Musica Tivoli complex will occupy, with its connection to the Tivolska Cesta ring road, can become one of the driving forces of the new development of the city centre. This is also the aim and vision of the developer. In this way the capital will also complete the regulation of one of the most degraded urban areas in the immediate city centre.

International competition for the best spatial planning and architectural solution

In order to obtain the best spatial planning and architectural solution the developer decided to hold an invited competition in 2004. The key criterion was quality at the global level. Invitations were therefore sent, on the basis of a proposal from experts, to ten of the world's most prominent architects who met the conditions for participation. Eight of these replied to the invitation and six submitted competition entries.

The entries were evaluated by an expert jury chaired by the renowned architect Boris Podrecca, a professor at the Technical University of Stuttgart, who lives and works in Vienna. The other members of the jury were:

o    Kurt Forster, director of the Venice Biennale and Gropius professor at the Bauhaus University in Weimar,
o    Marco De Michelis, director and full professor at the Faculty of Arts and Design at IUAV University of Venice,
o    Hilde Léon, director of the Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Sciences at the University of Hanover,
o    Sergej Pavlin, professor at the University of Ljubljana,
o    Gojko Zupan, art historian,
o    Igor Jurančič, architect,
o    Jože Anderlič, representative of the owner and convener of the competition.


From among the designs submitted by the participating architects (Bolles + Wilson, Germany, David Chipperfield Architects, United Kingdom, Foreign Office Architects, United Kingdom, Heikkinen-Komonen Architects, Finland, Rafael Moneo, Spain and Neutelings Riedijk Architects, Netherlands), the jury unanimously chose the design by Dutch architects Willem Jan Neutelings and Michiel Riedijk.

Summary of the opinion of the jury

"The winning project responds in many ways to the complex urban situation defined by the recognisable and different environment surrounding the site and excellently addresses the required multifunctional design of the complex. Two thirds of the area of the complex are dedicated to public use. With great skill, the project brings the public street level into the complex from both sides – through Argentinski Park and from Gosposvetska Cesta. The individual segments and the complex as a whole communicate with each other in an excellent way. The complex as a whole is likewise very well connected to the inner ring road (Tivolska Cesta). The auditorium reveals itself in an extremely original way, its oval form floating in the foyer. The architectural icon of the structure is represented by the central glass cube above the multipurpose auditorium, which is the heart of the complex. This glass form with its motif of vegetation grows among the three towers through the flat roof of the central section above the ballroom and restaurant, surrounded by terraces raised above the city, with views on all sides. The project is notable for the way in which it separates the public sphere from the private sphere. The two apartment villas are integrated into the existing architecture of urban villas on the south-west side. The façade envelope with its inclined towers represents an architectural innovation and a new symbol in the urban space which, with its family of three towers, responds to the city skyline.

About the architects Willem Jan Neutelings and Michiel Riedijk

Click for zoomWillem Jan Neutelings and Michiel Riedijk have since 1997 been partners in an architectural practice in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, which today employs around 20 architects and designers. Between 1991 and 1999 Willem Jan Neutelings taught at several schools of architecture in the Netherlands, including the Berlage Institute and the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture, and at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Boston. He is a pupil of Rem Koolhaas, one of the most influential architects and architecture theorists in the world. The practice has won numerous awards including the Rotterdam Maaskant Prize and a prize at the Venice Biennale of Architecture. Projects by Neutelings Riedijk Architects have been exhibited in New York, Paris, Venice, Porto, São Paulo, Barcelona, Rotterdam and many other cities.

Examples of attractive architecture with a reason: Bilbao, Graz, St Petersburg

The Bilbao effect

Click for zoomThis Basque city was merely one of many European cities that did not differ significantly in any way from other cities. Following the economic crisis of the 1980s, when the city was left without a clear focus for the future, the city authorities decided that Bilbao needed a new role in the modern age. This was the catalyst that led Bilbao to invite the architect Frank Gehry to design the city's new Guggenheim Museum. The museum cost the city $100 million, but in return it gave it world fame: in the year following the opening of the museum, an incredible 1,300,000 people visited Bilbao. This brought the city an unexpected new momentum. Since then, the effect that a notable piece of architecture can have on the development of a city or region has been known as the "Bilbao effect".

Discover it at: http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao

Graz

Click for zoomGraz, like many other European cities, faced the problem of stagnation of the city centre. The city centre was dreary and empty and people instead spent time in out-of-town shopping and entertainment centres. A new contemporary art centre (locally known as the "friendly alien") has not only attracted people back to the centre, local people have begun to see it as a symbol of the city and part of its identity. This has created conditions for so-called architectural tourism.

Discover it at: http://www.museum-joanneum.at/en/kunsthaus/kunsthaus-graz-5

St Petersburg

Russia's former imperial capital also addressed the problem of the insufficient capacity of the existing theatre in the city centre by holding an international competition for proposals for a new, modern venue to be known as the New Mariinsky Theatre. The competition was won by the world-famous French architect Dominique Perrault with a futuristic design. The city used its own money both for the competition and to finance the project (€200 million).

Discover it at: http://www.arcspace.com/architects/perrault/mariinskij_index.html

http://www.ericowenmoss.com/index.php?/projects/project/imariinsky_cultural_center_ibrnew_mariinsky_theater/

Why is it not possible to preserve the old Kolizej building?

Click for zoomEvents surrounding the Kolizej building in Ljubljana and the numerous dilemmas over the question of whether to preserve the building or demolish it have agitated the Slovene public more than ever. The Carniolan Investment Company is committed to conserving historical and cultural heritage, particularly if it has significant monumental value. But the old Kolizej in Ljubljana, like similar complexes in Prague and Vienna, does not represent such a value, something which has been confirmed by experts. More

Not only that: in 1995 a report by ZRMK, commissioned by the City of Ljubljana, revealed doubts about the economic justifiability of restoring the complex in the form in which it was built – the essence of monument protection requirements – while observing current standards and regulations. This means that the complex needs to be completely demolished and rebuilt from scratch. Given the size of the complex it is estimated that this would cost taxpayers something in the order of €30 million. To make it clearer: The same as it would cost to build 384 flats measuring 60 m2 at Housing Fund prices (€1,300 per square metre).

A number of other facts should also be mentioned:

o    Today's Kolizej building has a gross floor area of 15,751 m2 on a site measuring 9,210 m2. The building stands in a former gravel pit and its ground floor is almost 5 metres below the level of the street, which further reduces its functionality. The functional design of the building reflects the needs of the 19th-century developer. Given its floor area and standards currently in force, the building would need more than 400 parking spaces, which if the existing design is preserved could not be provided either on the site itself or in the immediate vicinity.

o    State of the supporting structure: "The supporting structure is in a relatively poor state as the result of damage resulting from overloading, excessive damp in supporting elements and unsuitable interventions. In places, the brick walls are so badly damaged that the brick crumbles to the touch, even in the core of the walls." (ZAG)

o    Supporting walls: "The load limits in the internal pillars significantly exceed the calculated compressive strength of the walls. The most heavily loaded pillars are at the northern end of the complex, because of the greater number of floors and the smaller dimensions of the pillars. Here the calculated compressive strengths are exceeded by up to 423%. This figure is slightly lower (up to 244 %) for the pillars at the southern end and in the central section." (ZAG)

o    Earthquake resistance of the building: in its current state, the building does not guarantee the prescribed earthquake resistance either under Eurocode 8, which Slovenia has already adopted as a pre-standard, or under less stringent rules. "The problem is not only insufficient global earthquake resistance. The overloading of some of the internal brick pillars in the northern part of the building means that these will collapse even with a minimal horizontal seismic load, probably in the area of just 10% of global earthquake resistance. This local collapse of pillars in the northern part of the building means a loss of support and the collapse of arches, upper walls and all the ceiling structures indirectly supported by these pillars." (ZAG)

o    An expert report published in May 2008 concluded that the building is dilapidated or damaged to the extent that it cannot be repaired using ordinary remedies, since the cost of repair would exceed the value of a new building by more than 50%. The report also stated that the building is functionally unsuitable (out of date) for new, modern activities and requirements. The report was one of the obligatory enclosures submitted by the owner when applying for consent for the removal of a monument from cultural protection authorities.

o    In view of the structural design and the state of the building described above, it is impossible to adapt it to present-day legal and functional standards through normal renovation. Two similar complexes that once stood in Graz and Vienna had to give way to new buildings in the early years of the 20th century – without anyone insisting on their "monumental value".

What has happened to the residents of Kolizej?

Kolizej occupies a prime location in the centre of Ljubljana but until a few years ago it was still serving the same purpose as at the end of the 19th century, i.e. providing "social" housing in impossible conditions; the majority of flats did not have bathrooms and toilets and consisted of a single room. More

As a result of the partial collapse of the building in 1995, when three people lost their lives, the City of Ljubljana commissioned an assessment of the static safety and stability of the building from the former Institute for Testing in Materials and Structures (ZRMK). In accordance with the assessment from the above report that in situ investigation of the quality of the building materials and calculation of earthquake resistance were necessary, and also in view of the owner's legal responsibility for the safety of tenants, as soon as the purchase of the building was completed the new owner commissioned reports from the national Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG) and the Institute of Public Health in Ljubljana on the safety and earthquake resistance of the building, fire safety and living conditions.

All three reports confirmed that the building is not suitable for occupation, that it represents a risk to the health and safety of people and property and that the immediate vacation of the building by residents and users is recommended (ZAG, Report No P 436/04-650-1 and study E 4577-540-1 and Institute of Public Health Ljubljana, No 120-35-272-2/04). All residents and users of premises in the Kolizej complex were informed of this by the owner.

Residents with right of residence were provided with replacement accommodation of their own choosing or financial assistance in resolving their housing problem. Despite the fact that the owner has no legal obligations towards them, they were offered comprehensive help (including financial assistance) to resolve their problems.