Zaha Hadid Architects has won an international competition for the design of the new Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Concert Hall in Yekaterinburg, Russia. A melting pot of Eastern and Western cultures, talents, and industries, the strategic Ural city hosts a Philharmonic Orchestra which has performed in more than 20 countries, while based in the existing 1936 Sverdlovsk Philharmonic building.
For the design of the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra’s new home, Zaha Hadid Architects “echoed the physical aspects of sound waves” to create an inspirational venue meeting the orchestra’s growing program, and to create a new public plaza for all citizens.
The Zaha Hadid Architects proposal is based on the “properties of musical sound resonance creating wave vibrations in a continuous smooth surface,” translating as a fluid, suspended auditorium element floating above a new civic space, all contained under a large canopy.
The scheme’s centerpiece is a 1,600-seat Concert Hall and 400-seat Chamber Music Hall “nestled within the surface deformations of the suspended canopy.” Elevated off the ground, this element creates an unobstructed lobby underneath, doubling as a vibrant public gathering space for a city whose population has increased by over 10% in the past decade. Atop the scheme, the procession of interconnected public spaces continues in the form of a rooftop terrace overlooking the city’s Church of All Saints.
The proposal will sit in a void between existing heritage buildings and Weiner Gardens, connecting with the adjacent landscape through a transparent glass façade opening towards a renovated amphitheater for summer outdoor performances. As part of the project, the existing concert hall will be preserved and renovated as an “integral element of the new world-class facility.”
Russia has been a formative influence on Zaha Hadid Architects’ creative work. From very early in her career, Zaha was attracted to the Russian avant-garde who conceived civic spaces as urban condensers that catalyse a public realm of activity to enrich creativity and community; allowing space itself to enhance our understanding and well-being. These principles are embedded within the design of the new Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Concert Hall.
- Christos Passas, Project Director, Zaha Hadid Architects
ZHA triumphed over 46 other international teams, in a competition organized 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.
News of the competition win comes weeks after the firm exhibited their interweaving carpet collection for Royal Thai during the 2018 London Design Festival.
News via: Zaha Hadid Architects
Architects
ZHA Principal
Patrik SchumacherZHA Design Director
Christos PassasZHA Project Architect
Alessio CostantinoZHA Design Lead
Ben Kikkawa, Melhem Sfeir, Zsuzsanna Barat, Afsoon Es HaghiZHA Design Team
Duo Chen, Christina Christodoulidou, Anna Uborevich-Borovskaya, Ekaterina Smirnova, Aleksandar Bursac, Alicia Hidalgo Lopez, Maria-Eleni Bali, Eckart Schwerdtfeger, Maria Avrami, Valeria Perco, Sattor JabborZHA Senior Interior Designer
Sonia RenehanZHA Cultural Researcher
Vera KichanovZHA Administrator
Nastasija HahoninaZHA Project Consultant
Liudmila Harrison-JonesZHA Graphic Design
Silviya BarzakovaZHA Videography
Henry VirginLocal Architect
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AKT II (London); Daniel BosiaMEP Engineering
Atelier 10 (London); Meredith Davey, Ivan Jovanovich, Piers Watts-jones, Younha RheeFaçade Engineering
OPTIMISE (London); Scott Cahill, Adam Willetts, Tim Macfarlane (Glass Light and Special Structure)Landscape Design
ARTEZA (Moscow); Irina ChebanenkoTheatre Consultant
Theatre Projects (London); David Staples, Dave AgnesAcoustic Engineering Design
Marshall-Day (Melbourne, Hong Kong); Peter Fearnside, Peter Exton, Thomas SceloLighting Design
OVI (New York); Enrique Peininger, Jean Sundin and Markus FuerdererProject Year
2018Photographs
VA, Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
