Horta, Victor( 1861 – 1947 )
Sketch of the main concert hall, SOFAM, XVIII. 15. 24 , 27. 6 21. 9 cm, Graphite and
ink on paperVictor Horta’s architectural style characterizes the relatively short period of Art Nouveau, manifest
primarily in Europe at the turn of the twentieth century. Although employing the sinuous lines of the
style, ‘Horta’s vital imagery was inspired by nature but it never imitated natural shapes’ (Borsi and
Portoghesi, 1991 , p. 13 ). Intent upon influencing behavior, his emotional freeform vines and floral
shapes contain such elements as tangential connections, folding, rhythm, and a dialogue of contrasting
materials such as glass and iron (Borsi and Portoghesi, 1991 ). Since the Art Nouveau movement
intended to provide an ‘introduction of feeling’ to architecture, Horta also regarded comfort as an
important aspect of civilization. He considered issues such as ventilation and central heating, all inte-
grated into the flexible layout of rooms and the efficient and innovative use of materials (Borsi and
Portoghesi, 1991 ).
Horta was born in Ghent, Belgium, in 1861. He began his education at the Ghent Academy and
finished his studies at the Académie des Beaux Arts in Brussels, 1881. His office education included
several years with the architect Jean Dubuysson in Paris. In addition to his private practice, Horta
taught and administrated programs in architecture at the Université Libre in Brussels and the Académie
des Beaux Arts in Brussels. The Tassel House launched his career, followed by such projects as the
Autrique House ( 1893 ), the Hôtel Solvay ( 1900 ), the L’Innovation Department Store in Brussels, the
Musée des Beaux Arts, Tournai, ( 1903 – 1928 ), the Halle Centrale which was the main railway station
in Brussels, and his largest project, the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels ( 1920 – 1928 ).
Horta was first invited as a consultant for the Palais des Beaux Arts (Figure 5. 8 ), an exhibition
space and concert hall for the city of Brussels. He was eventually requested to provide a design for the
project and finally was commissioned in 1919 for the construction of the building that began in 1922
(Aubry and Vandenbreeden, 1996 ). Horta had extensive knowledge of acoustics and an affinity for
music. This attraction was evidenced by the strong rhythms of his architecture; in fact, he had
attended the Académie de Musique prior to his interest in architecture (Aubry and Vandenbreeden,
1996 ). His concern for acoustics also showed in his design of the ceiling planes, and hidden lighting
and ventilation systems.
This section shows how Horta visually studied the reverberation angles and distances of the con-
cert hall. The freehand sketch consists of a simple outline describing the negative space of the hall.
The structure and construction details have been eliminated in favor of the interior space necessary
for acoustic control. The outline has been drawn in ink and the reverberation angles in graphite.
Horta has placed a piano on the stage as the sound source and origin of the lines bouncing off vari-
ous surfaces. Reacting to the calculated reflection of the sound, he was considering altering the
bank of seating. A similar response, which led to the lowering of the ceiling over the stage, has also
been presented in pencil. Despite its spare quality, the sketch provided sufficient information to
assist in visualization. This concert hall, studied at a time before digital computing, required that the
reverberation angles be comprehended visually; later in the history of acoustics, models have been
used to mimic sound reflection with beams of light. He was able, using near ninety-degree angles,
to provide the necessary information with accuracy. The sketched diagram supplied him the visual
artifact to design a space primarily sound sensitive.H5719-Ch05.qxd 7/15/05 3:39 PM Page 131