KRAM/WEISSHAAR

Optimus Space
At Casa Da Mùsica

Optimus Space
At Casa Da Mùsica

At the invitation of Rem Koolhaas & Ellen van Loon, Clemens Weisshaar & Reed Kram collaborated with Nuno Rosado to design a new event space and flagship store at the travertine base of the Casa da Música in Porto for the Portuguese mobile phone network OPTIMUS (now known as NOS).

The proposition was to create an immersive space that brought the multimedia content offering of the OPTIMUS network to life in a tangible, physical experience – one that reflects the company’s values through cutting-edge interactive components, social spaces such as a bar and restaurant, and it’s relationship to the cultural icon that is the OMA designed Casa da Música.

KRAM/WEISSHAAR addressed these topics through two key designs within THE OPTIMUS SPACE: The EXPERIENCE BLOCK – an expanding and contracting media hub which forms the heart of the 200 square meter space. And the INTERACTIVE FAÇADE, a motion-sensitive 3D visualisation which comes to life at night along the entire front of the OPTIMUS SPACE on Avenida Boavista – Europe’s longest straight road within the limits of a city.

Having opened its doors to the public in 2005, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) designed Casa da Música invigorated the traditional concert hall with its faceted exterior, daring interior forms and innovative use of materials, and became both an instant icon and a vibrant public space for the city and citizens of Porto.

Mobile phone operators offer an ever increasing variety of services, media and applications, yet their physical stores and spaces have struggled to match the rapid evolution of their digital ecosystems. The OPTIMUS SPACE at Casa da Música marks a departure from the homogenous retail experience of the phone shop in its emphasis on radical architecture and the rich cultural experience of connectivity.