This angular black concert hall was designed by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects to contrast with the curved white playhouse it accompanies in Erl, Austria (+ slideshow).

The Passionsspielhaus, or "Passion Playhouse", was constructed in the 1950s as a Christian theatre but since 1998 is has also hosted summer operas and orchestras as part of the Tyrol Festival.

Delugan Meissl Associated Architects designed the new Festival Hall as a winter concert venue for the festival and its faceted shell spikes out from the landscape as a single monolithic volume.

"The building's form and positioning both relate to the impressive landscape setting defined by the rock formations in the back, and to the dynamic presence of its neighbouring historical counterpart," say the architects.

A staircase sunken into the hill leads down to the building's entrance, where visitors are directed through a clean white lobby into the timber-lined auditorium.

The architects explain: "The transition from the foyer into the concert hall is accompanied by spatial and atmospheric change: dynamism, variability and asymmetry give way to maximum concentration, static calm and orthogonality."

A strip of glazing slices across the west elevation to frame a panoramic view of the surrounding meadows from a first floor gallery, which provides a second route into the hall.

Delugan Meissl Associated Architects won a competition to design the building in 2007 and it was completed in August.

The architects previously designed a Porsche Museum in Germany, which we featured in 2009.

See more concert halls on Dezeen, including a pearlescent music hall in Spain.

Above: site plan

Photography is by Brigida González.

Here's some more information from Delugan Meissl Associated Architects:

The geometry of the Festival Hall developed from the topographical conditions, placing it in an adequate relationship with the existing Passionsspielhaus. The building's form and positioning both relate to the impressive landscape setting defined by the rock formations in the back, and to the dynamic presence of its neighboring historical counterpart. This existing building and the new one are oriented towards one another. They complement and elevate their respective architectural articulation of the reference to the landscape by interacting visually with one another.

Above: lower floor plan - click above for larger image

The new building increases existing qualities of the natural and architectural environment. Aside from the geometry, colour also enhances the duality between old and new. While the white surface of the Passionsspielhaus stands out optically during the time of the summer festival, the changing of seasons brings upon a cromatic reversal of the ensemble. The configuration of the Festival Hall resembles a tectonic stratification. Its crevices and faults lying in between indicate the way into the building's interior. At nighttime the incisions and folds in the distinctive facade allow insight into the radiant foyer.

Above: upper floor plan - click above for larger image

Access

The topographic imprint on the new building is consequently continued within its interior. The deisgn idea is guided by two defining parameters: the interrelation between the interior and the surrounding natural space as well as the spatial configuration of a functional, internationally acclaimed concert hall. Flowing visual and functional spatial references define the architecture. Areas with diverse usage and geometry show the creative engagement with communication and calm, dynamism and concentration. The sequences of movment are subtly guided by the sensory experience of the rooms. The access staircase is integrated into the landscape thus guiding visitors into the building.

Above: cross section through foyer - click above for larger image

Functions

Cloakroom and reception desk are situated near the entrance. The foyer - an asymmetric construction volume - allows manifold views onto the surrounding nature as well as onto the neighboring Passionsspielhaus. A staircase running in the opposite direction leads onto the upper gallery where the impressive relationship between interior and exterior space can be experienced again through the ample west façade made of glass. This level also hosts the building's secondary functions. Orientation, room sequence and functional relations are integral parts of the architectural dramaturgy: ample communication areas, retracting and expanding circulation areas and varying room hights translate the building's tectonic geometry in a sensory manner. In a consequent and effective way, the approach to the concert hall is staged through a gentle surge of the entrance level. The respective levels of the foyer are connected with the concert hall through two entrances. The latter is situated in the centre of the building like a shell, its rear part being anchored in the rock. The transition from the foyer into the concert hall is accompanied by spatial and atmospheric change: dynamism, variability and asymmetry give way to maximum concentration, static calm and orthogonality.

Above: cross section through auditorium - click above for larger image

Materials

Like the succession of rooms, the materials concept is equally defined by a sensorial perception of the respective usage areas. Differentiations in geometry, haptics and surfaces of room elements increase the senorial experience of single function areas and facilitate orientation. The shine in the foyer during the winter's sunset increases the communicative character of this area of encounter. Following the metaphor of an exposed jewel, the concert hall is defied by a distinct change of materials: wood surfaces and subdued colours create a warm room composition of tense quiet thus directing the visitors' attention onto the performance to follow. Multiple technical equipment and the possibility to transform the hall allows a varied use which reaches far beyond the function of a classical concert and festival venue.