Following a year-long competition process involving some of the world’s leading architecture firms, AL_A has been selected by the UNDP to design the new Belgrade Philharmonic Concert Hall.
The Concert Hall is a landmark project for the City of Belgrade and Serbia. It is the biggest cultural investment in the region for decades. Located next to the historic Palace of Serbia in New Belgrade, the project is an extraordinary commitment to building a brighter, more sustainable future for the city. With multiple performance, rehearsal and creative spaces including a symphonic concert hall with 1,600 seats, the Hall will be the first of its kind in the Balkans: an internationally recognised platform for world class musical performance and a magnetic civic gathering place.
AL_A lead an international team including landscape designers VDLA, engineers AFA Consult and local architects Zabriskie. They join Arup who continue their role in acoustic and theatrical design.
Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia, says: ‘The Belgrade Philharmonic Concert Hall is the largest cultural infrastructure project in Serbia, and the region, and will be one of the largest in Europe itself. I am proud that this decades-long dream, of our professional musicians, young talents, music lovers and the people of Serbia, is finally coming true in such a beautiful shape. I believe that this Hall will be one of the greatest cultural legacies of this Government. Investing in culture and in education is crucial for setting the pillars of a succesful and strong modern country. This is something we have began with numerous similar cultural projects. This Concert Hall is most definitely going to become a new landmark of Belgrade and attract visitors and tourists to our country. Furthermore, with its quality programs it will enrich our citizens’ cultural life. I strongly believe that it will become another regional hub for making contacts and knowledge exchange, with the flow of creativity, ideas and experience of both domestic and foreign artists’.
Amanda says: ‘You couldn’t dream of a better site than this to message Serbia’s vision for the future. The magnificent setting of Ušće Park, on the banks of the River Danube, sends a powerful message about transforming and rewilding our cities to make them greener, more beautiful spaces. The Concert Hall will be an expression of harmony between nature, architecture and music, at a pivot point in Europe where East meets West. It will be a place where people from all places and cultures, of all ages and abilities, come together to delight in music from every genre.’
