Szczecin Philharmonic Hall by Barozzi Veiga

Photo © Simon Menges.

Poland’s latest architectural marvel opened last year in the coastal city of Szczecin and its conducting one of the finest compositions the region has heard for decades. Glistening amongst the urban product of war and foreign occupation, Szczecin’s Philharmonic Hall stands as a monument to Poland’s historic reputation as an orchestral tour-de-force. Marrying contextual form, material narrative and programmatic spectacle, this diamond of a building is glowing something special within a pretty roughed-up place.

Filling the footstep of Sczcecin’s old Konzerthaus, which was destroyed in the Second World War, the Philharmonic Hall grew from Spanish studio Barozzi Veiga’s delicate interpretation of Szczecin’s built context. The gabled rooflines of adjacent classicist buildings and neo-gothic churches are reflected within the hall’s very geometric façade and roofing typology. Incorporating a translucent white cladding on the internal skin and white aluminium battens on the exterior, the building transforms from a purist daytime shrine into a colourful and vibrant nighttime spectacle.

Meanwhile, within the interior lies an elaborate entry area with an exquisite spiral staircase and huge central skylights that pour natural light onto an array of subsidiary multifunctional spaces. All this climaxes towards two main centrepieces, a Symphonic Concert Hall and a Chamber Hall. Have you already archigasm’d over the images? Yes, they’re that good.

Photo © Simon Menges.

Accommodating 951 orchestra fanatics, The Symphonic Concert Hall is exquisitely finished in a variety of acoustically primed timber panels. Lit naturally from above by even more skylights, the panels shed a golden glow over a dark mass of seating, creating a contrasted sense of warmth against the building’s exterior. The smaller Chamber Hall, on the other hand, seats 198 and is finished in acoustically enhanced concrete; creating a cool, clinical atmosphere even more severe than that created by the building’s exterior. Designed so the whole architectural experience peeks within these two central spaces, this project stands as a piping hot example of how to construct a super-sexy architectural narrative.

Those Spanish talents over at Barozzi Viega have undoubtedly established an orchestral temple for Szczecin. I hope they know it because I’m pretty sure the archi-enthused world is sweating some fierce jealousy right now. Especially considering it won this years Mies van der Rohe award. Nice work guys!