The House of Music Hungary is one of the biggest cultural investments in the European Union. Designed by Sou Fujimoto Architects, it is becoming a hub for city dwellers and worldwide visitors wishing to attend concerts, visit the exhibition or record music in the building’s open studios.

ArchDaily editors first got in touch with the Liget Budapest Project in the summer of 2021 and were treated to an impressive site visit at the House of Music Hungary. We were among a few select invitees that caught a glimpse of the finishing phases at one of the city’s major projects located in its 200-year-old park. Developers and contractors were racing to catch up on the time they’d missed due to the pandemic – a challenge they certainly fulfilled, with the project completed in less than six years and being opened to the public in December 2021.

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The site-work had involved around 300 workers, including some trained specialists that had been commissioned with fitting and protecting some of the largest single glass panels ever installed in a European project. In combination, they make up a striking and acoustically innovative glass-walled music hall. The space’s intended mood was already palpable through the gilded and soundwave-shaped ceiling, inspired by designs from the city’s art-nouveau age.

Despite its successful opening and public appreciation, however, one person still hadn’t seen the result of his at times unfathomable design: the project’s architect, Sou Fujimoto. We had the chance to accompany Mr. Fujimoto and his team for his first visit to the House of Music Hungary in September 2022 and were able to get his view on the significance of the project, the innovations embodied by it, and the complexities of working on a grand cultural hub remotely.

AD: Would you take us through the project’s conception once more? How did the idea of transparency and glass use come to be, particularly for a concert and music hall? What sensory effects were meant to be communicated through the space?

SF: This location is surrounded by such beautiful nature, so I loved the idea of playing music in the middle of a forest and listening to it while being able to look at the greens. That was the very simple starting point, and how the idea of a glass auditorium came up. And it wasn’t just the glass – the canopy, too, made it feel like the park was extended, which to me was very important. Same with the amphitheater.

To play music and sing songs in the open air and in the middle of the greens while being protected by the canopy was what I was dreaming about.

The sensory impression of this House of Music Hungary, to me, is truly amazing. I of course saw many pictures of the project, but actually experiencing it for the first time is far beyond what any images could convey. It’s a beautiful mixture of architecture and the nature of the park – an in-between space, which had been my main concern. When I walked under the canopy it was a fantastic feeling to see the light coming through with a slight gold tint. I wanted the ceiling to always harmonize with the changing color of the leaves around it and play with the changing light throughout the day.

AD: How did Nagata Acoustics help navigate the challenges of this building? When did they get involved and did this influence your own process?

SF: After winning the competition, we started dealing with the reality of what this dream would look like. We had world-famous acoustic engineer Nagata helping us. They are based in Japan, so we were able to consult over there, while also having the local Hungarian acoustic engineers and clients help us figure out a solution on the ground. In the end, we decided it was possible through measures like the double glass walls, internal zig-zag glass facade (which helps reflect sound by increasing the surface area), and sound absorption materials integrated behind the metallic panels of the canopy ceiling. These precise design adjustments were crucial in making the building possible.

AD: We understood that the testing and construction phase coordination processes were unusual and slightly more difficult due to the Covid-19 restrictions, how were you able to navigate through this and work from afar? 

SF: That was a big challenge for us. We were lucky to be able to conduct site visits with our team and the local architect, client, and contractor prior to Covid to see the materials samples, and mockups. A lot of decisions were made then, like the ceiling, floor, and wall materials and the details of what glass we would use (special panels had to be shipped from Germany). That meant that, once Covid came, the basic direction was already fixed. Then, every three months, we would do Zoom sessions with the team on the ground – this was difficult because, even though they brought a camera into the construction site, it was almost impossible to get a feel for the building. So we asked them to ship some of the most important samples to Tokyo to be able to experience them in person.

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