The proposal by the team of the architectural firm Ferreos & Associates Architects presented an utterly riveting design for the concert hall on Troodos. The design, as an extension of the existing Mitsis Commercial School, presents a concert hall integrated with the natural terrain of Troodos mountains.
The design is inspired from the ancient times, when caves would be utilized as ritual areas, such as the cave of Melissani where rituals of Pan, a god related to nature and music, would take place. The concert hall consists a symbolic place, while the access route to the hall comprises a submerge process, recreating for the visitor the ‘lyrical’ feeling of a ritual space of arts and music.
In that context, the back of the stage remains open and transparent, an embodiment of a cave’s gateway, framing the view towards nature as a focus and inspiration point. The integration of the hall’s volume along the mountain slope enables its conversion into a natural landscape extension, while maintaining in display its structural elements. The unrestricted movement around the concert hall allows easy public access from the main road and the overlying existing school, while creating a walk-through in nature with 2 public areas at each edge, which host natural terracing seats for open-air events.