In 2020, the world will celebrate the 250th birthday of Beethoven, and soon after the anniversary of his death. In light of this, a new “world-class” concert hall, a “Festspielhaus”, is being planned for the banks of Beethoven’s beloved Rhine River in his hometown of Bonn, Germany. More than 50 practices were considered in the pulmonary selection process, following a shortlist of ten, and now three final proposals by David Chipperfield Architects, kadawittfeldarchitektur and Valentiny hvp architects have been selected to move on to the competition’s final round.
“The new Festspielhaus will not only bring Beethoven’s music to life, it will serve as an international “house of music” that brings together diverse genres – from classical to crossover to pop – and attracts music lover of all ages,” stated the competition organizer.
The privately-funded “Beethovenhalle” is planned for completion in 2019. You can review the top three final designs after the break, alongside the seven other shortlisted proposals - by Zaha Hadid, UNStudio, Snøhetta, and more - they were selected over.
“David Chipperfield Architects has proposed a four-story assemblage of cuboidal structures of spun concrete. The two lower structures, with entries to the main concert hall, act as a bridge between the Rhine promenade and the green spaces of the Beethovenhalle. Topping these two base structures is a layered landscape of rooftop terraces − a place for ambling, enjoying the view or taking in a performance in the outdoor performance space.”
“Working with the elevation difference between the Rhine River and the Beethovenhalle campus above, Aachen-based kadawittfeldarchitektur designed a volume that rises in curvilinear bands to create − as stated in the architects’ mission statement, ‘harmony between new hall and its surroundings.’ The interior inverts the upward movement of the façade by burrowing the vineyard-form concert hall amphitheater-style into the belly of the complex. Echoes of the substratum layers carry over into the outside area in the form of stairs leading down to the riverfront.”
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“Luxemburg-based Valentiny hvp architects have cast a voluminous wave-shaped structure that opens up to both the riverfront and the city side through vaulting glass fronts. The building’s two main arcs, one much larger than the other, share a roof of overlapping bands of waves that stretch all the way to the ground in a gesture of openness on Beethovenhalle-facing side. A generously proportioned staircase leads visitors from the Rhine to one of the two entries. The second access is through the small wave on the city side. The plans call to keep the bunker located on the plot.”
The seven shortlisted designs, not moving through to the final round, include:
Project descriptions courtesy of Beethoven Festspielhaus.
.jpg?1415637420 "Chipperfield Among Three Shortlisted Schemes Unveiled for Beethoven House of Music")
