Opening of the Auditorium in Torun, Poland, by Architect Fernando Menis.

-     Spanish Architect Fernando Menis will be inaugurating his most complex work up to date in the historic town of Torun, this Saturday Dec 12^th.

-       The birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus will unveil this red building, known as CKK “Jordanki”, with the Torun Symphonic Orchestra, who debuts this way its new headquarters.

Everything is ready in Torun for the opening to public today, Dec 12^th of what will probably be the most important building of this city during the present XXIst century.

This new building in Torun (Poland), a UNESCO protected historic town, expresses a fusion of old and new through the use of historical and contemporary materials. The interior uses brick, a material present on nearly all the façades of the historic centre. The exterior is created with an almost white concrete. As it is cut and carved away, shades of red appear as the lining in its holes. The building’s use of material is a reinterpretation of the traditional use of brick, establishing a parallel between the tectonics of the city and the location of the plot. The interplay of colours, red and white, emphasizes the dichotomy between the modern and historic architectures and the innovations in technologies used in construction. We use to explain the volume of the concert hall through the experience of eating Zurek, a very popular dish eaten in Poland. Zurek is a traditional soup served in a bun whose crumb has been removed and its outer shell is used as a bowl.

The plot of the project is set in a green ring around the centre of this small, smart, and meticulous Polish town of Torun and bordering the new development of the city.

The project site is designed to exist as half of the area of the site. This is to give the remaining area to the park. A green arc is created to create views onto the theatre as well as make the park appear larger. The views to the river stay intact, in order to assure that the project does not block views to the river it was essential to keep the building’s height the smallest possible. This was also advantageous to the historic nature of the neighbourhood, as the building blends with the site and exists as a natural object.

The concert hall’s outer skin remains rigid while, inside, the building exists as a fluid that brings together the different functions, its many elements different but existing together but slowly combining and playing off each other. Holes and cuts made in its rigid shell allow the red to seep out to the exterior. The program is carefully considered and flexible in nature, the building allows the theatre to create different capacities allowing it to change from performance to performance like a sponge. Allowing two rooms to act as the main theatre moving the walls changes the number of seats available. It is a building which, thanks to its flexible acoustic system, can be tuned and adapted to each musical program that is wished to be performed.

The concert hall may also be opened to the outside, allowing outdoor performances and use of the park for events. The design is open and permeable, it allows people to pass though it toward the square, providing a complete and continuous connection to the public.

The CKK “Jordanki” will become an international symbol of culture and architecture for the city of Torun. Thanks to its unique location and strategic position, it is not just a new building, but a single object, an emblem and reflection of the pride of its society.

The building creates an intimate inner world, maintaining the fluid connection with the outside world, it behaves like a door. It allows users to go through it and reach a square which is the heart of the buildings site.

The project aims to create an auditorium adaptable to various events and various public capacities that is even able to hold several separate events simultaneously. It is also engineered so that it is able to effectively absorb symphonic performances, chamber, theatre, opera, cinema and meet any acoustic requirements the theatre designer requires.

Architect Fernando Menis has stated that “I wanted to make an auditorium that has the best efficiency possible, one that can adapt to different events and various capacities for public, and even to be able to house several independent acts simultaneously. Thus, able to absorb efficiently a varied number of performances, the kind of symphonic music, chamber music, theatre, opera, cinema, musicals…and, at the same time, a place which citizens of Torun can feel proud of. “