Inhabitat reports that three architecture practices have been chosen as finalists for the new concert hall being built to commemorate composer and musician Beethoven’s 250th birthday in his hometown of Bonn, Germany.
These firms are kadawittfeldarchitektur from Germany, David Chipperfield Architects from the U.K., and Valentiny hvp architecs from Luxembourg. The finalists were chosen over high-profile firms such as Zaha Hadid Architects and Snøhetta.
According to ArchDaily, the concert hall is planned for the banks of Beethoven’s beloved Rhine River. This privately funded project is planned for completion in 2019.
Here’s a peak of the shortlisted designs (more information and renderings can be found at beethoven-festspielhaus.de):
David Chipperfield Architects, U.K.
Statement: “The British architect 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.”
Renderings courtesy of Beethoven Festspielhaus
kadawittfeldarchitektur, Germany
Statement: “Working with the elevation difference between the Rhine River and the Beethovenhalle campus above, the Aachen-based architects 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.”
Renderings courtesy of Beethoven Festspielhaus
Valentiny hvp architects, Luxembourg
Statement: "The Luxemburg-based 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."
Related Stories
| Jun 10, 2014
New York's first-ever public housing for visually-impaired begins upgrade
Selis Manor is the first government-funded residence for the vision-impaired and disabled in New York City. MAP’s design eases crowding, increases security, and separates residents and visitors.
| Jun 9, 2014
6 design strategies for integrating living and learning on campus
Higher education is rapidly evolving. As we use planning and design to help our clients navigate major shifts in culture, technology, and funding, it is essential to focus on strategies that help foster an education that is relevant after graduation. One way to promote relevance is to strengthen the bond between academic disciplines and the campus residential life experience.
| Jun 9, 2014
Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program
The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.
| Jun 9, 2014
10 projects named 2014 AIA Small Project Award winners
Yale's funky new Ground café and a pavilion made from 53,780 recycled plastic bottles are among the nation's best new small projects.
| Jun 9, 2014
Eli Broad museum files $19.8 million lawsuit over delays
The museum, meant to hold Eli and Edythe Borad's collection of contemporary art, is suing the German company Seele for what the museum describes as delays in the creation of building blocks for its façade.
| Jun 8, 2014
What’s the word of the day? It’s all about ‘resiliency’
Just for the sake of argument, let’s put aside the rhetoric about climate change—whether it’s actually happening, whether it’s a result of manmade activity—and agree that we are experiencing some pretty dramatic weather events that are having huge impacts on populations here in the U.S. and worldwide.
Smart Buildings | Jun 8, 2014
Big Data: How one city took control of its facility assets with data
Over the past few years, Buffalo has developed a cutting-edge facility management program to ensure it's utilizing its facilities and operations as efficiently, effectively, and sustainably as possible.
| Jun 6, 2014
Must see: Can a floating city offset urban population growth in China?
AT Design Office has proposed a design for a floating city to offset increasing urban populations in China. To create the new city, a 10-square kilometer island would be made out of prefab blocks.
| Jun 6, 2014
KPF, Kevin Roche unveil design for 51-story Hudson Yards tower in NYC [slideshow]
Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group are teaming to develop Fifty Five Hudson Yards, the latest addition to the commercial office tower collection in the 28-acre Hudson Yards development—the largest private real estate development in the history of the U.S.
| Jun 6, 2014
Shipping container ship terminal completed in Spain
In Seville, Spain, architectural firms Hombre de Piedra and Buró4 have designed and completed a cruise ship terminal out of used shipping containers.