OPUS Concert Hall
Hak Sik Son was approached by 5 parents who wanted a private space in which their musical children could rehearse and perform. Located in a busy, retail area of Seoul, he designed OPUS Concert Hall that accommodates a 150-seat underground concert hall 6 m high, a restaurant and bar on the first and second floors, a leasable office space at the third floors which now owned by a graphic design studio for a company that serves the music recording industry, and the remaining top three floors contain 5 music studios for the clients who are music teachers and performers.
The below-grade level for concert hall placement is to insulate from the external street noise. Clad in natural finish wood and in plaster, the concert hall was formed by both acoustic and visual (sight-line) considerations resulting in a simple, straightforward shape. A restaurant is set in the first and second floors, which the formal dining on the first floor and the casual dining on the second. The glass facades on these floors display the activity within the building for passing pedestrians, also respond to activities on the street and reflect the commercial landscape, so there is no need for a noticeable sign.