After winning an international design competition, Zaha Hadid Architects are building the new Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Concert Hall in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Yekaterinburg has distinguished itself as a crossroads of European and Asian culture. The city will have a world-class concert hall to call greater attention to itself.
Zaha Hadid Architects beat out 46 international teams with their design, inspired by the physical aspects of sound waves. Its suspended canopy represents a visual representation of sound resonance. The canopy seems to float above a civic plaza, providing a new community gathering space, beyond acting as the lobby of the Philharmonic.
A 1,600-seat Concert Hall and 400-seat Chamber Music Hall will be constructed to high acoustic standards. They are tucked under the wave formations of the canopy. This lets the acclaimed Philharmonic, that often performs internationally, a greater showcase for its talents. For the moment, the Philharmonic plays in a Concert Hall built in 1936. The new design is meant to pay homage and complement the past.
The company notes that the building which houses the Philharmonic was firstly a Civic Assembly Building where everybody could gather. ZHA contains an enclosed civic plaza into their design, recalling the past and looking toward the future in the same time. ZHA also looks back at the legacy left by Zaha Hadid as it works on a new project in Russia.
“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 catalyze 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”, said the project director Christos Passas at Zaha Hadid Architects.
