The MusicSpace tackles a central demand in the city: Utrecht has long been recognized as a hub for musical talent and innovation in the Netherlands. Home to the Herman Brood Academy, one of the country’s leading music schools, the city has nurtured a thriving music scene. The academy has produced numerous successful artists, also of international fame such as Martin Garrix. With a vibrant community of musicians and music enthusiasts, institutions like The MusicSpace are vital for fostering creativity and providing professional-grade facilities for both aspiring and established artists.

The search for a solution

With the plan of a new location and eighteen new studios, Pim Weltevrede, owner of The MusicSpace, emphasizes the importance of the right materials for the project: “This is the third location we have developed. We have done this twice before. The challenge with soundproofing a space, especially if you want several next to each other, is that you actually need a lot of mass for that."
Initially Pim wanted to use calcium silicate, but this turned out to be too heavy for the foundation of the existing building, making it necessary looking for an alternative option. After some delay in the planning, Ytong autoclaved aerated concrete blocks were eventually chosen as sound-insulating material.

Ytong blocks as sound insulating material

Building with Ytong blocks has several advantages, including its light weight and ease of processing. The stone-like building material appears porous at first glance, which makes it not the most obvious choice for sound insulation applications, as one may think the soundwaves pass through the material easily. But, despite this appearance, autoclaved aerated concrete is highly insulating thanks to the air-filled pores within its structure. This acts as a barrier for sound waves, which ensures effective sound insulation. Due to its natural structure, it also provides high internal damping, which contributes to the ideal soundproofing and sound-absorbing properties. In addition to the acoustic advantages, spaces built with Ytong also offer excellent thermal insulation and fire safety.
For Pim, the technical properties of Ytong came unexpectedly as a solution to his sound insulation problem: “It is a very light stone in itself, so sound insulation is not the first thing you think of as an application of this product. Given the challenge and the frameworks that we have here in the building, it was actually the only efficient building material that we could use to make those studios.”

The building process with Ytong

The objectives during the construction process were clear: the studios had to be soundproof, the project had to be completed by a defined date and the budget could not be exceeded. Each of these objectives was achieved.
Thanks to the rapid applicability of Ytong blocks and the rapid processing, the studio could be built with a tight deadline. The end result? Eighteen unique sound studios that are fully operational: “Now that it is running and music is being made simultaneously in the studios and full bands are playing with loud amplifiers and singing guitars, I am very proud of the end result. It is quieter than I actually thought.”

The success and future plans

The studios were ready in time for the opening last September, a crucial deadline for welcoming the Herman Brood Academy and its students.
There are possibly more projects in the pipeline for The MusicSpace; another 900m² of studios can be built on the ground floor. Since the foundation allows it, Silka is a suitable choice for this. Pim looks forward to doing more projects with Xella and says: “The nice thing about doing business with Xella was also the easy logistics. They drive back and forth to the factory with their own trucks or their own transporters and had the material ready on demand. This made planning very flexible.”