A solidarity concert for Italy and Japan held at L'Aquila new auditorium
The Head of Civil Protection Department and the Japanese Ambassador in Italy took part to the event
A concert to launch the activities of the new Auditorium "L'Aquila Temporary Hall", the temporary structure designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban after the earthquake of 6 April 2009 will be held today, May 7 in L'Aquila. The event is a moment of solidarity and friendship between the Italian and Japanese population, both affected by strong earthquakes.
The concert, which starts at noon, will be attended by the Head of Civil ProtectionDepartment, Franco Gabrielli, and the Ambassador of Japan in Italy, Hiroyasu Ando. The reading of a message from the Italian Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of Japan are part of the programme. Tomomi Nishimoto will conduct the orchestra of the Conservatory "A. Casella "L'Aquila, who will perform the national anthems of both countries during the opening.
Drawings and paper cranes - the most traditional Japanese origami - sent by pupils Italian Embassy and a Japanese citizen to remember the experience of Japan and East of the population of Abruzzo - are exposed in the area of the Auditorium.
Funding. The frame construction has been financed almost entirely by the Japanese government and partly by the city of L'Aquila, following the January 18, 2010 memorandum signed by the Prime Minister's Office, the Embassy of Japan, the Municipality, the Province, University and the Conservatory of L'Aquila.
The public tender. The tender for the construction of the Auditorium has been awarded by the CME - Building Contractors Association June 23, 2010 and works began July 5, 2010 and are now complete, with the exception of the ceiling, that the architect Ban redesigned to improve the acoustics.
The project. The Auditorium is located next to the Conservatory "A. Casella", one of the first structures built after the earthquake of 6 April and inaugurated on December 22, 2009. It is 12 metres high, and covers an area of 702 square meters and can count on 220 seats. The frame is made of steel, the stage and the stalls are made of spruce wood. The perimeter walls with bags of expanded clay contribute to sound and thermal insulation of the Concert Hall. The stratigraphy of the floor space for the public, with full and empty spaces, was designed to optimize the acoustics of the structure.
Throughout the design process and construction, a special attention has been paid to environmental protection: in this regard, the innovative use of Paper Tube, recycled paper tubes, already tested by the architect on other projects and used here for inner walls of the Concert Hall as an architectural element in the spaces reserved for the public.