New Concert Hall Edinburgh

The proposal for this Concert Hall is located in the heart of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site. Landlocked among historical buildings as the Dundas House, the New Register House and National Records Scotland, the building defines the end of the new town axis. The project will be home to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and will host the Edinburgh International Festival, that is why it will have exceptional acoustics together with the capacity to adapt to all types of performances.

The project seeks to create a Concert Hall that is not only a place for music but also has to become a public and cultural space for the city. The approach is founded on the creation of a public, social and dynamic realm, transforming the existing center of the block from a hitherto unknown space facing the back walls of Dundas House and the surrounding buildings, into an intimate public square for the city of Edinburgh. The approach seeks to release the maximum public space as possible, reducing the footprint of the building and developing part of the program vertically. The proposed new square will be a central and permeable space, a livable and dynamic place where people can stroll, relax or even enjoy outdoor performances.

Instead of inserting a unitary block, the project is considered as an assemblage of interrelated volumes which adapt to the complex geometry of the site. The building adjusts to the context’s scale, while one vertical volume establishes a direct relationship with the Matheson Dome, defining the main façade towards the Archivist’s Garden, hosting the primary entrance to the foyer and constituting a recognizable front and public image of the Concert Hall. By aligning to the surrounding buildings, such a volume could complete the urban grain of the site, establishing a continuous public space.

From the new town, the building appears centered behind the Dundas House, as the conclusion of the new town axis. Coming from George’s street, and St Andrew Square the vertical volume can be seen as a pure and elegant silhouette behind the Dundas house. Coming closer to the building, it is impossible to see it due to perspective issues. A balanced situation is created, where the existence of the concert hall is displayed towards the urban context, but concealed towards the historical surroundings respectfully maintaining the sights of the heritage buildings.

The Concert Hall building is considered as a hewn volume, monolithic, characterized by defined openings which emphasize the public and cultural character of the building. Brick, as a potential material, would envelop the building with a delicate texture, offering civic presence and warmth.