heatherwick studio to redesign the home of the new york philharmonic at lincoln center

heatherwick studio to redesign the home of the new york philharmonic at lincoln center
image © rosie hallam

british designer thomas heatherwick has been chosen to lead the renovation of the lincoln center’s largest concert hall, the home of new york’s philharmonic orchestra. working alongside diamond schmitt architects, heatherwick studio will lead the $500 million USD redesign of david geffen hall, with construction expected to begin in 2019.

in addition to creating a state-of-the-art concert hall with world-class acoustics, the team will be charged with reimagining the entirety of the auditorium, creating ‘a place where the architecture is at one with music’. the venue will also be the permanent home the institution’s hall of fame, which will honor and celebrate the performing arts and film represented at lincoln center.

‘the new york philharmonic creates some of the most incredible music in the world, so it deserves a world-class concert hall,’ stated thomas heatherwick. ‘together with diamond schmitt architects, we are excited to make this special institution and its classical music even more connected to new yorkers and the audiences of the future.’

the current david geffen hall
image courtesy of lincoln center

‘the inspiring combination of heatherwick and diamond schmitt will bring contemporary design excellence, respect for the historic architecture of the hall, and extensive experience creating acoustically superb performance halls,’ said katherine farley, chairman of lincoln center for the performing arts.

‘we believe this pairing of heatherwick and diamond schmitt offers the most compelling potential for the new york philharmonic’s new home that will reflect the excellence and artistry of this orchestra, as well as further enhance and support the philharmonic’s evolution as a 21st-century institution,’ added oscar s. schafer, chairman of the new york philharmonic.

the concert hall, originally designed by max abramovitz, was the first building to open on the lincoln center campus. first known as ‘philharmonic hall’, it has been home to storied performances by the new york philharmonic, as well as other renowned orchestras and soloists, for more than five decades. the venue was renamed in september 2015 to david geffen hall in honor of music and media executive and philanthropist david geffen, whose $100 million USD gift will allow lincoln center to move forward with the creation of the new arena.

lincoln center and the new york philharmonic, will now work closely with the entire project team – diamond schmitt, heatherwick studio, acoustic design firm akustiks and theater design firm fisher dachs – to develop and finalize the design.

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