Vuorotellen (adverb: taking turns) performs a song, a duet, telling a tale of music as an experience and a skill to be honed. The two distinctive masses, through size, material, rhythm and details, establish a division between the more everyday musings of the students and the almost otherworldly, elevating performances aimed at more public audiences. This division then creates boundaries and openings for delightful public space to form in-between and around. The architecture emphasizes the public nature of the centre, inviting visitors or bypassers to and through. The public nature, where wanted, is achieved with transparency, openness and creating parallel spaces in- and outdoors.
The site is located at the shore of lake Näsijärvi in a knot of recreational routes. In the midst of the protected Kauppi forest lies only a few public buildings. The comforting silence has many sounds: one can hear the quiet whispering of the forest with its old trees creaking, the gentle sounds of waves caressing the sandy beach and rocky shores, a laugh of a seagull hunting in the distance and mumbled cheering from the baseball stadium. The music center is placed in the middle of all this. Following the contour of the hilly site and framing views to the lake it takes its own place like it has always been there.
The division between the experience and the learning buildings is further emphasized with facade materials. Red brick has a long industrial history in Finland and especially in Tampere, where the material can be seen at almost every historical site. The association of red brick with the mundane and work is thus implanted deep in the residents of Tampere. Materials help guide visitors to the right building and provide nice tactile materiality on every surface.
