Casa da Música

Casa da Música is Porto's municipal concert hall and one of the defining works of deconstructivist architecture: Rem Koolhaas and Ellen van Loon of OMA shaped an asymmetric concrete polyhedron that sits on the Rotunda da Boavista like a faceted crystal dropped from above. Originally commissioned as a flagship project for Porto's year as European Capital of Culture in 2001, it only opened in April 2005 — a timeline that speaks to the ambition of the construction engineered by Arup. The building houses three resident ensembles: the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto, the period-instrument Orquestra Barroca, and the Remix Ensemble dedicated to contemporary works. Its main concert halls feature corrugated glass walls that open views to the city, blurring the boundary between performance space and urban landscape. The venue is open daily from 09:30 to 18:00, with ticketed architectural tours available alongside the concert programme.