• Research

    The fundamental principle of IRCAM is to encourage productive interaction among scientific research, technological developments, and contemporary music production. Since its establishment in 1977, this initiative has provided the foundation for the institute’s activities. One of the major issues is the importance of contributing to the renewal of musical expression through science and technology. Conversely, sp…

    • Research Topics
    • The STMS Lab
    • Research Teams
    • Sound Systems and Signals: Audio/Acoustics, InstruMents
    • Acoustic and Cognitive Spaces
    • Sound Perception and Design
    • Sound Analysis-Synthesis
    • Sound Music Movement Interaction
    • Musical Representations
    • Analysis of Musical Practices
    • Projects
    • Sound Workshop
    • The Musical Body
    • Creative Dynamics
    • Finished Projects
  • Creation

    IRCAM is an internationally recognized research center dedicated to creating new technologies for music. The institute offers a unique experimental environment where composers strive to enlarge their musical experience through the concepts expressed in new technologies.

    • Composers & Artists in Studio
    • Chloé Thévenin in studio
    • Oren Boneh in studio
    • Tristan Murail in studio
    • Martin Matalon in studio
    • Sébastien Gaxie in studio
    • Murcof in the studio
    • Vimala Pons in studio
    • Lucie Antunes in studio
    • Deena Abdelwahed in the studio
    • Music-Fictions
    • Artistic Research Residency
    • Artistic Residencies: The Blog
    • Rendez Vous 24.25
    • 2024-2025
    • Replay Concerts
    • Seasons from 1996 to present
    • ManiFeste-2024 Website
    • ManiFeste festival from 2012 to 2024
    • L’Étincelle, IRCAM’s journal of creation
  • Transmission

    In support of IRCAM's research and creation missions, the educational program seeks to shed light on the current and future meaning of the interactions among the arts, sciences, and technology as well as sharing its models of knowledge, know-how, and innovations with the widest possible audience.

    • Training Courses
    • Training Courses 2024.25
    • Max, Max for Live
    • Computer-Assisted Composition
    • ASAP & Partiels
    • Sound spatialization
    • Designing Audio Experiences on the Web
    • Generative AI
    • Sound Design
    • Practical Information
    • Higher Education
    • Cursus Program on Composition and Computer Music
    • Master ATIAM
    • Sound Design Master's Program
    • Mixed-Music
    • AIMove Master
    • Discover Research at IRCAM
    • Cultural Outreach
    • Cultural Mediation at Middle School Students
    • Médiations culturelles au lycée
    • Digital Workshops
    • TACT
    • Images of a Work Collection
    • Group Tours
    • ManiFeste-2025 Festival Academy
    • 2025 ÉLAN award
    • Spatial Composition Workshop
    • In Situ Polytopes
    • ULYSSES Ensemble
    • Auditors
  • Innovations

    Engaged with societal and economic issues at the intersection of culture and IT, research at Ircam has forged a reputation for itself in the world of international research as an interdisciplinary benchmark in the science and technology of sound and music, constantly attentive to the new needs and uses in society.

    • The IRCAM Forum
    • Softwares
    • Ircam Amplify
    • Innovative art-science-technology processes
    • Forum Vertigo
  • IRCAM
  • Careers & Job Offers
  • Calls for applications
  • Newsletter
  • Arrive
  • Boutique
  • Resource Center
  • News
  • login
  • En
  • Fr
  • IRCAM
  • Careers & Job Offers
  • Calls for applications
  • Newsletter
  • Arrive
  • Boutique
  • Resource Center

Fr | En

  • login
  • Research

    The fundamental principle of IRCAM is to encourage productive interaction among scientific research, technological developments, and contemporary music production. Since its establishment in 1977, this initiative has provided the foundation for the institute’s activities. One of the major issues is the importance of contributing to the renewal of musical expression through science and technology. Conversely, sp…

    • Research Topics
    • The STMS Lab
    • Research Teams
    • Sound Systems and Signals: Audio/Acoustics, InstruMents
    • Acoustic and Cognitive Spaces
    • Sound Perception and Design
    • Sound Analysis-Synthesis
    • Sound Music Movement Interaction
    • Musical Representations
    • Analysis of Musical Practices
    • Projects
    • Sound Workshop
    • The Musical Body
    • Creative Dynamics
    • Finished Projects
  • Creation

    IRCAM is an internationally recognized research center dedicated to creating new technologies for music. The institute offers a unique experimental environment where composers strive to enlarge their musical experience through the concepts expressed in new technologies.

    • Composers & Artists in Studio
    • Chloé Thévenin in studio
    • Oren Boneh in studio
    • Tristan Murail in studio
    • Martin Matalon in studio
    • Sébastien Gaxie in studio
    • Murcof in the studio
    • Vimala Pons in studio
    • Lucie Antunes in studio
    • Deena Abdelwahed in the studio
    • Music-Fictions
    • Artistic Research Residency
    • Artistic Residencies: The Blog
    • Rendez Vous 24.25
    • 2024-2025
    • Replay Concerts
    • Seasons from 1996 to present
    • ManiFeste-2024 Website
    • ManiFeste festival from 2012 to 2024
    • L’Étincelle, IRCAM’s journal of creation
  • Transmission

    In support of IRCAM's research and creation missions, the educational program seeks to shed light on the current and future meaning of the interactions among the arts, sciences, and technology as well as sharing its models of knowledge, know-how, and innovations with the widest possible audience.

    • Training Courses
    • Training Courses 2024.25
    • Max, Max for Live
    • Computer-Assisted Composition
    • ASAP & Partiels
    • Sound spatialization
    • Designing Audio Experiences on the Web
    • Generative AI
    • Sound Design
    • Practical Information
    • Higher Education
    • Cursus Program on Composition and Computer Music
    • Master ATIAM
    • Sound Design Master's Program
    • Mixed-Music
    • AIMove Master
    • Discover Research at IRCAM
    • Cultural Outreach
    • Cultural Mediation at Middle School Students
    • Médiations culturelles au lycée
    • Digital Workshops
    • TACT
    • Images of a Work Collection
    • Group Tours
    • ManiFeste-2025 Festival Academy
    • 2025 ÉLAN award
    • Spatial Composition Workshop
    • In Situ Polytopes
    • ULYSSES Ensemble
    • Auditors
  • Innovations

    Engaged with societal and economic issues at the intersection of culture and IT, research at Ircam has forged a reputation for itself in the world of international research as an interdisciplinary benchmark in the science and technology of sound and music, constantly attentive to the new needs and uses in society.

    • The IRCAM Forum
    • Softwares
    • Ircam Amplify
    • Innovative art-science-technology processes
    • Forum Vertigo
  • Home
  • IRCAM
  • The Building
  • IRCAM
  • History
  • Departments
  • The IRCAM team
  • The Building
    • Espace de projection ("Espro")
    • Anechoic Chamber (Non-Echoing Room)
    • Salle Stravinsky






    The Building

    Edit






    In the beginning, IRCAM was entirely underground, located under the fountain designed by Niki de Saint-Phalle and Jean Tinguely on the Place Igor-Stravinsky. In 1990, the tower designed by Renzo Piano was erected on the corner of the Piazza, making IRCAM a visual element of Paris' urban landscape. Since 1996, the institute façade has become a hybrid, including two other disparate spaces adjoining the tower; the former Jules-Ferry school and a building that once housed the public baths (Bains-Douches).

    Maquette de l'Ircam

    Basement
    (3500 m2)
    The Jules-Ferry & the Bains-Douches
    Buildings
    (1969 m2)
    Piano Tower
    (728 m2)
    by Renzo Piano & Richard Rogersby Daniel Rubin & Patrick Rubinby Renzo Piano
    in October 1978in 1996in June 1990
    studios, laboratories, Espace de projection,
    anechoic chamber, mechanic workshop
    conference room, multimedia library,
    classrooms, student studios, offices
    offices

    Edit
    • Studio 1 Studio 1 © Laurent Ardhuin
      Studio 1 Studio 1 © Laurent Ardhuin
    • Studio à l'Ircam IRCAM's studio © Philippe Barbosa
      Studio à l'Ircam IRCAM's studio © Philippe Barbosa
    • L'Espace de projection Espace de projection © Éric Laforgue
      L'Espace de projection Espace de projection © Éric Laforgue
    • L'Espace de projection Espace de projection © Éric Laforgue
      L'Espace de projection Espace de projection © Éric Laforgue

    Espace de projection ("Espro")

    The Espace de projection is a variable acoustics hall that can be used as a concert hall, a recording studio, or for room acoustic experiments. This space a structure independent of the rest of the building, therefore isolated from outside noises and vibrations. The largest space in IRCAM, this space is the building's zenith.

    Espace de projection, Polytopes dans le cadre du festival ManiFeste-2022 © Ircam - Centre Pompidou, photo : Quentin Chevrier

    Audio equipment: an innovative multi-channel sound spatialization system
    Both a research tool and subject, the Espro's audio equipment combines two cutting-edge systems for sound field reproduction: WFS (sound hologram synthesis) and Ambisonics (3D sound immersion). The room features a WFS system consisting of a 264-speaker array evenly distributed around the stage and the audience and a 75-speaker dome for three-dimensional Ambisonic sound diffusion. These 339 loudspeakers are controlled by a set of computers that manage multiple sound source spatialisation in real-time.

    This system was installed with the support of the Ile-de-France region (Sesame equipment program), the CNRS, and Sorbonne University.

    Variable Acoustics
    The Espace de projection was built with the intention to provide the largest variability possible with regard to form, volume, and acoustical properties. To change the volume and shape of the room the height of the three ceiling panels can be varied independently; a roller curtain then separates the different sub-spaces. The walls and ceiling panels consist of rotatable prismatic modules, called periactes, with three material surfaces: absorbent, reflective, and diffusing. There are 171 groups of three periactes, which can be independently controlled by an electro-mechanic system. This makes it possible to change both the reverberation time and the early and late reflection patterns of the room.

    Principle Characteristics
    Horizontal Dimensions: 24m x 15.50m
    Capacity: 250 to 350 seats
    Variability of the Volume: ceiling height can vary from 1.50m to 10.50m
    Variability of the Acoustic Characteristics: reverberation time between 0.4 and 4 seconds.

    Acoustician: M. Peutz. Inauguration: October 1978.


    Anechoic Chamber (Non-Echoing Room)

    An anechoic chamber is a room for acoustic experiments that absorbs as much sound as possible. The ceiling, floor and walls are covered with fiberglass wedge-shaped panels that absorb almost all the acoustic energy. Therefore the sound propagates in space without reflections, a situation that artificially recreates what physicians call "free field conditions".

    Principle Functions
    The anechoic chamber is used primarily to measure the radiation characteristics of sound sources. Numerous studies have shown that the radiation patterns of natural sound sources vary with frequency and time. If we use the example of a musical instrument, its radiated acoustic field depends on the note played, on the type of instrument, and other parameters. To measure radiation patterns, it is necessary to separate the direct field radiated by the instrument and the field reflected by the room's surfaces. In an anechoic situation the reflected acoustic energy is negligible and thus only the free-field radiation is measured. The anechoic chamber is also used as a "quiet" room. Measuring very precise sounds necessitates a very low recording level, without any background noise. Extremely well isolated from the outside and the rest of the building (a sort of a box in a box mounted on neoprene silent blocks), this room makes it possible to have a satisfactory signal/noise relationship.

    Photo 1 : Entrée de la chambre anéchoïque © Ircam - Centre Pompidou, photo : Cyril Fresillon
    Photo 2 : Chambre anéchoïque © Ircam - Centre Pompidou, photo : Philippe Barbosa


    Salle Stravinsky

    A 75m2 conference room equipped with an audio system, video equipment, projector, and internet access.

    Main Characteristics
    Platform: 21m2. Holding capacity: Seven rows of seating. 73 fixed chairs.

    Room Rental
    Informations Production Department


    Salle Stravinsky © Ircam - Centre Pompidou, photo : Philippe Barbosa

    Ircam

    1, place Igor-Stravinsky
    75004 Paris
    T. +33 1 44 78 48 43
    Opening times

    Monday through Friday 9:30am-7pm Closed Saturday and Sunday
    Subway access

    Hôtel de Ville, Rambuteau, Châtelet, Les Halles
    • Jobs Offers & Internships
    • The IRCAM team
    • Partners
    • Support IRCAM
    Institut de Recherche et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique

    go to :
    • Centre Pompidou
    • General Conditions
    • Legal Notes
    • Espace Pro
    Copyright © 2025 Ircam. All rights reserved.