31 Jan 2017
Big names in contention to design Edinburgh concert hall
BY Kim Megson
Adjaye Associates, David Chipperfield, Richard Murphy, Allies & Morrison, Barozzi Veiga and KPMB have been announced as the architects who will compete to design a multi-purpose concert hall and arts centre for Edinburgh.
The high-profile shortlist has been announced by IMPACT Scotland, the charitable trust overseeing the major cultural project in the city’s St Andrew Square.
In total, 69 international firms expressed interest in the project after it was announced in December last year.
The concert hall has been proposed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) as its new permanent home. The centrepiece will be a 1,000 seat auditorium, as well as a studio providing rehearsal, recital and recording space “to rival the best in Europe.”
In addition to chamber music, the venue would also host jazz, folk, rock, pop, electronica and classical performances, as well as solo and song recitals and small dance ensembles.
“We have an extremely strong shortlist to choose from,” said Sir Ewan Brown, chair of IMPACT Scotland's judging panel. “The submissions we received show that this project will transform the resource available to Edinburgh's Festivals and provide new opportunities for music groups across Scotland by building for greater inclusivity and access."
A decision on the winning design will be made in early April.
The complex will be located and designed to complement, rather than compete with, the city-owned and operated Usher Hall musical complex, in order to provide Edinburgh with additional possibilities for cultural expansion.
IMPACT and the SCO hope that public sector partnerships will support the financing of the project.
Money has already been committed by the arts-focused Dunard Fund, which will purchase an adjacent office building in St Andrew Square to house the staff of IMPACT Scotland, the SCO and other arts bodies.
The full shortlist is:
Adjaye Associates (London) with Sandy Brown, Buro Happold and DHA Designs
Allies & Morrison (London) with Charcoalblue, Spears & Major, Harrison Stevens and Buro Happold
Barozzi Veiga (Switzerland) with Alan Baxter, Max Fordham, KahleAcoustics, 3DReid and Ian White Associates
David Chipperfield (London) with Arup, Whitby Mohajer Engineers, GROSS MAX and Theatre Projects
KPMB (Toronto) with Simpson & Brown Architects, David Narro Associates, Arup, Sound Space Vision, rankinfraser landscape architecture and Transsolar Energietechnik
Richard Murphy (Edinburgh) with Arup, Graven Images, GROSS MAX and Montagu Evans
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