Perched on top of a sloping site, The Music Box transforms the heart of Thornwood into a new performing arts district. The building hosts a main auditorium space for up to 120 people, recording studios are on top of the auditorium, and various acoustic rooms provide spaces for rehearsals on the East and West facades, allowing the performer’s silhouette to be celebrated from the external envelope.

A sky-lit exhibition space is located on the ground floor, along with a case taking advantage of the South facing light. Thresholds across different levels are designed to become places for connecting, meeting and observing. The designed landscaping of the site forms an intimate connection with the locals forming spaces to observe, rest and enjoy the performance of day-to-day city life.

A traditional wind-up music box inspired both the concept and overall form of a ‘box within a box’. The auditorium dictated the overall form of the building, with a rectangular room offering optimum acoustics, creating a balanced harmony when listening to music. The acoustic driver then dictated the structural grid, overall strategy and materials. The auditorium is surrounded by a concrete box protecting the sound of music within.

The external skin of the building is perceived as a weightless volume in. which the aluminium and glass facade – sometimes translucent, sometimes opaque – transmits expressive qualities depending on its use. The palette of materials selected is intentionally tactile to encourage user connection with the external and internal fabric. Bold colours, elevated ceilings and contrast of light and shadow create drama for the spectators and performers before entering the main auditorium.

The new proposal Crathie Drive is positioned to the South of the retrofitted Crathie Court. The proposal sits intentionally between two tenemental blocks, helping to define the street frontage.

The building subtly touches both the tenement’s gable end with a shadow gap formed on the East and a brick colonnade leading to the walled garden on the West. The threshold between public and private is subtly defined through planters and a communal close. The heights of the elevation are determined by the adjacent tenements. This creates double-height living spaces to the South and a split level is used to the North creating space for bedrooms across two levels; ideal for intergenerational living.

The retrofit proposal enhances the current Crathie Court considerably, winter gardens have been added to the South elevation which helps to create a buffer zone in the winter enabling temperatures inside to be more stable. The winter gardens also feature a sliding door between neighbours enabling social interaction, when desired. The two proposals are connected through a series of stepped walled gardens creating space to connect.