Acoustic stage

Designed for the Stresa Festival 2021, the Acoustic Stage is a stage machine for outdoor concerts that is intended to activate a synergic connection between music, nature and people. It is a musical pavilion, a natural amplifier of sound arising from the intention of Michele De Lucchi and Mario Brunello (the festival’s artistic director) to use architecture and music to bring people closer to the landscape and to stimulate environmental sensitivity. The musical pavilion is conceived as a wandering set design, which takes music to unexpected places and showcases the nature of the territory.
The larch wood structure is shaped like a shell, the walls of which act as a sound box: it is a natural amplification that does not require electronic components, since the intensity of the sound depends solely on the arrangement of the musicians on the stage. The panels that hug the platform and determine the shell shape are supported by visible wooden arms that reveal all the simplicity of the mechanics of the stage: a system that is easy to transport and assemble in the various contexts of Lago Maggiore and that can be positioned in the proximity of the lakeside or along the slopes of the surrounding woods.
The phase of modelling and acoustic simulation developed by the university research team led by Prof. Marco Imperadori has been of fundamental importance for the feasibility of this stage machine: the structure has been optimised using engineering software and, above all, the ideal parameters for achieving a high quality of sound without the support of electric amplification have been identified. The execution, entrusted to D3Wood, is based on the potential of numerical control machines, which enable heartwood products with innovative and non-standardised shaped to be created. The harmony of the colours is another essential component of the project. To reduce the impact on the landscape, the larch wood has been darkened with a natural treatment that has accelerated the process of chromatic change of the wood, which is not a simple construction material but an element with its own life, made of aroma, colour and sound. The lighting too – using rechargeable lights – has been designed to achieve a suffused effect, creating that atmosphere of conviviality that is typical of gatherings around the campfire.
Through the interaction and synthesis of all the elements, the Acoustic Stage project aspires to create an alternative and natural experience of music and architecture, favouring the connection between people and the environment.