Golden Gate Concert Hall
AU_2016 | Work from Andrew Cruse's Undergraduate Gui Competition Studio

San Francisco is home to many great music venues and some of the most legendary musical acts. However, the music scene has been on the decline, specifically that of classical music. The project proposes a new concert hall, housed within the confines of Golden Gate Park, that would encourage a younger generation to interest themselves with a more classical genre of music. Within the park, it is located adjacent to Strawberry Hill and Stowe Lake - the building connects the higher elevation of the lake to the lower park landscape, acting as a gateway to the remainder of the park.

In such a location, the concert hall seeks protection from the noise of the street and park. A programmatic bar bends itself into the steep slope, acting as a physical and sound barrier to the adjacent road. Beyond this threshold, there are two types of spaces: shells dictating circulation throughout the venue and and closed volumes housing the three concert halls. As visitors enter off of the lake side, they experience the sounds and visuals of the entire building, but are withdrawn from the sounds of the park. They are given the decision to either descend to the lower portion of the park or to climb through the shells, towards the concert halls. The shells act as a second barrier to sound pollution and allow for more privacy before a show. Once inside the concert halls, the visitors experience complete sound and visual isolation - enabling three programs to occur at once without harm to the quality of music.