”We hear what we see“

With the opening of the Elbphilharmonie, it is probably for the first time in Germany, that the profession of an acoustician became known to a larger public. Yasuhisa Toyata, from Japanese origin and now living in Los Angeles, could be seen in many interviews, talking about the plaster walls, the seats and other acoustic characteristics. We had the chance to meet him in Hamburg.

The Situation: We sit on two chairs next to each other in the pavilion where the 1:10 acoustic model is shown. Mr. Toyota proposes to change seats and sit at a table opposite to each other.

His introduction to the theme: „You see, we communicate better this way, facing each other. Let’s imagine that the music is placed on the table. We listen to the music on stage. But if the music is wonderful, we can share this music with other people because we can communicate with them, we can see them. That is why I like this type of building.  

Karin Winkelsesser: This brings us directly to the project of the Elbphilharmonie: Was the shape of the auditorium already clear, when you got involved into the project?
Yasuhisa Toyota: The direction of the design was already decided as vineyard style or surrounded style. ...