Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Concert Hall

Zaha Hadid Architects have been selected by the jury of the international design competition to build the new Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Concert Hall in Yekaterinburg, capital of Sverdlovsk oblast region in Russia.

A cultural hub across Eurasia, Yekaterinburg has built a rich musical tradition; moving the city’s acclaimed Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, from the existing 1936 building to its new home, will provide an inspirational venue and also create a new public plaza.

Echoing the physical aspects of sound waves, the design of the new Philharmonic Concert Hall is based on the properties of musical sound resonance creating wave vibrations in a continuous smooth surface. The design re-interprets these physical acoustic properties to define spaces for the auditoria that are suspended within the canopy, appearing to float above the new civic plaza that is both the lobby of the Philharmonic Concert Hall and an enclosed urban square.

Providing a 1,600-seat Concert Hall and a 400-seat Chamber Music Hall of the highest acoustic standards, these new auditoria are nestled within the surface deformations of the suspended canopy; liberating the lobbies from obstructions to open this space as a vibrant new gathering place for the local community.

The new building will inhabit the void between the old Civic Assembly Building and Weiner Gardens; not competing but complementing the surrounding heritage built ensemble that will include the preservation and renovation of the current concert hall. The new building seamlessly merges with the park’s landscape; opening its transparent glass facade to offer views of the renovated Weiner Gardens and a new amphitheatre for outdoor performances in the summer.

Enhancing its connections with the surrounding urban fabric of the city, the new building’s large glazed facades blur the boundary between interior and exterior, inviting visitors to experience a new public civic space that continues to its rooftop terrace overlooking the city’s Church of All Saints.

A total of 47 international teams submitted proposals to the design competition that was organised by the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure Development of the Sverdlovsk Region with the assistance of the charitable foundation for support of the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra.

Zaha Hadid Architects – Patrik Schumacher, Christos Passas, Alessio Costantino