Casa da Música, Porto

Casa da Música is Porto’s concert hall, designed by Rem Koolhaas and opened in two thousand five. Its faceted mass is an asymmetrical polyhedron clad in cement panels, sliced through by vast glass surfaces. The deliberately disrupted form is deconstructivist architecture, a manner that breaks familiar building order into fragments.

Portugal had never before created a building solely for performance, musical learning, and artistic creation. The scheme began with an international competition in nineteen ninety-nine, and the former tram depot site became a city landmark after its inauguration in April two thousand five. Inside, the Suggia Hall accommodates one thousand two hundred thirty-eight listeners. Its auditorium is extraordinary for having glass walls at either end, letting daylight enter a space usually sealed away from the day.