Conservatory of Music

By Francesco Pagliari - 29 August 2014

The new Darius Milhaud Conservatory in Aix-en-Provence in southern France is an example of architecture that is both expressive and functional. Named after the famous 20th century composer who hailed from Aix, the new building houses a music and dance conservatory as well as a concert hall and performing arts centre.
Located amidst other buildings offering cultural activities, the new conservatory provides a major boost to the arts in this, the birthplace of Cézanne. The five-storey, L-shaped building has a complex functional programme in keeping with the many activities going on inside. There are teaching, rehearsal and study rooms catering for a range of artistic disciplines from instrumental music to singing and dance, a media library with an area for reading and consultation, offices for teachers and administrative staff and storage space.
The building comprises two wings set at right angles to each other in plan, each with different structural frames. The volume overlooking Rue Juvénal is in reinforced concrete while the one facing Rue Mozart has a metal frame. The overall impression is of two monolithic blocks, their imposing size heightened by their singular shape. Yet their monolithic character is attenuated by the highly characteristic pattern of regularly spaced pleated anodised aluminium slabs cladding the elevations. Projecting folded aluminium panels provide a vertical and horizontal counterpoint to the extensive stretches of façade. Together with the striking geometry of the glazed lights that pierce the metal surfaces, they form a three-dimensional sequence of flat and jutting elements that has been likened to a musical stave. Architect Kengo Kuma himself has compared the façade appearance to Cézanne’s special “touche” painting technique in the way the materials catch and reflect the light in different ways as the day proceeds.
The elevations are a study in light and shade, a...