Dezeen Magazine

David Chipperfield reveals visuals of new Edinburgh concert hall

David Chipperfield Architects has released images of a performance centre proposed for Edinburgh, which will become home to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Named the IMPACT Centre, the music venue will contain a 1,000 seat auditorium, along with a 200-seat rehearsal space, cafe, bar and dedicated educational spaces.

As well as being the home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the centre will be used for music performances, talks, conferences and as a venue for the Edinburgh Festival during August.

David Chipperfield reveals visuals of new Edinburgh concert hall

The London office of David Chipperfield's firm designed the performance centre for a site located behind St Andrews Square in the New Town.

The visualisations were revealed at an public exhibition and community consultation event for the project, which is being proposed by the the International Music and Performing Arts Charitable Trust (IMPACT). It is described by the trust as "Edinburgh’s first purpose-built music venue in over a century".

David Chipperfield reveals visuals of new Edinburgh concert hall

"We are very excited to be working on the new music venue in a city renowned around the world for its arts and culture. The setting, within the context of Edinburgh's historic New Town, is also both stimulating and challenging, said Chipperfield.

"The new music venue will not only provide a modern performance space for Edinburgh but also create a new public place in this somewhat hidden corner of the city."

The firm won an international competition for the project last year, beating a shortlist containing Adjaye Associates, Allies and Morrison, Barozze Veiga, KPMB Architects and Richard Murphy Architects. It is working with local practice Reiach and Hall to deliver the building,

David Chipperfield reveals visuals of new Edinburgh concert hall

The design is being driven by a desire to create world-class acoustics. The main performance space is being developed in association with Nagata Acoustics.

"This is a building being designed from the inside out, with at its heart, a hall offering world-class acoustics for performers and audiences, said IMPACT Scotland's chairman Ewan Brown.

"The design team have concentrated on getting this right, and we are now developing the look of this truly exceptional building and how it will sympathetically enhance its hidden location."

David Chipperfield reveals visuals of new Edinburgh concert hall

"Feedback from our first consultation showed that 98 percent of respondents supported the idea of a new music and performance venue in central Edinburgh," continued Brown.

"The need for new venue to secure the future of music in Edinburgh is clear and the support the project is receiving is tremendously encouraging."

David Chipperfield Architects, ranked at 42nd on Dezeen Hot List 2017, is currently also working on a wide range of projects around the world. These include Hamburg's tallest tower, a major art museum in Minnesota, and the restoration of the Procuratie Vecchie on Venice.