| We've been discussing the factors the architect has to consider when designing domestic buildings. |
| I'm going to move on now to consider the design of public buildings, |
| and I'll illustrate this by referring to the new Taylor Concert Hall that's recently been completed here in the city. |
| So, as with a domestic building, |
| when designing a public building, an architect needs to consider the function of the building - |
| for example, is it to be used primarily for entertainment, or for education, or for administration? |
| The second thing the architect needs to think about is the context of the building, |
| this includes its physical location obviously, |
| but it also includes the social meaning of the building: |
| how it relates to the people it's built for. |
| And finally, for important public buildings, |
| the architect may also be looking for a central symbolic idea on which to base the design, |
| a sort of metaphor for the building and the way in which it is used. |
| Let's look at the new Taylor Concert Hall in relation to these ideas. |
| The location chosen was a site in a run-down district that has been ignored in previous redevelopment plans. |
| It was occupied by a factory that had been empty for some years. |
| The whole area was some distance from the high-rise office blocks of the central business district and shopping centre, |
| but it was only one kilometre from the ring road. |
| The site itself was bordered to the north by a canal |
| which had once been used by boats bringing in raw materials when the area was used for manufacturing. |
| The architect chosen for the project was Tom Harrison. |
| He found the main design challenge was the location of the site in an area that had no neighbouring buildings of any importance. |
| To reflect the fact that the significance of the building in this quite run-down location was as yet unknown, |
| he decided to create a building centred around the idea of a mystery - |
| something whose meaning still has to be discovered. |
| So how was this reflected in the design of the building? |
| Well, Harrison decided to create pedestrian access to the building |
| and to make use of the presence of water on the site. |
| As people approach the entrance, they therefore have to cross over a bridge. |
| He wanted to give people a feeling of suspense |
| as they see the building first from a distance, and then close-up, |
| and the initial impression he wanted to create from the shape of the building as a whole was that of a box. |
| The first side that people see, the southern wall, is just a high, flat wall uninterrupted by any windows. |
| This might sound off-putting, |
| but it supports Harrison's concept of the building - |
| that the person approaching is intrigued and wonders what will be inside. |
| And this flat wall also has another purpose. |
| At night-time, projectors are switched on and it functions as a huge screen, |
| onto which images are projected. |
| The auditorium itself seats 1500 people. |
| The floor's supported by ten massive pads. |
| These are constructed from rubber, |
| and so are able to absorb any vibrations from outside |
| and prevent them from affecting the auditorium. |
| The walls are made of several layers of honey-coloured wood, |
| all sourced from local beech trees. |
| In order to improve the acoustic properties of the auditorium and to amplify the sound, |
| they are not straight, they are curved. |
| The acoustics are also adjustable according to the size of orchestra and the type of music being played. |
| In order to achieve this, there are nine movable panels in the ceiling above the orchestra |
| which are all individually motorized, |
| and the walls also have curtains which can be opened or closed to change the acoustics. |
| The reaction of the public to the new building has generally been positive. |
| However, the evaluation of some critics has been less enthusiastic. |
| In spite of Harrison's efforts to use local materials, |
| they criticise the style of the design as being international rather than local, |
| and say it doesn't reflect features of the landscape or society for which it is built. |