Hungary – Nestled among the trees of City Park in Budapest, the House of Music is a museum and concert hall that celebrates the union between nature and sound. Adding to the country’s already impressive offering of opera houses and music venues, the building will celebrate Hungary’s rich music history while hosting live concerts.
Designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, the building features a vast perforated roof that allows foliage and trees to grow through it. Blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, more than 30,000 leaves are suspended from its ceilings, further enhancing the feeling of being in nature. Intended to appear like an extension of the public park, rather than addition to it, the museum charts new territory for museum design.
Making nature the principal feature of a building instead of a decorative element, this building aligns itself with the emergence of Nat-core Cities where nature takes priority – a future we explore in Equilibrium Cities.
Strategic oportunity
No longer considered an afterthought, urban designers and architects must work with – and respect – nature and plants at the forefront of designs, with human-centric spaces coming second