With construction drawings of the 1300-seat new concert hall complete, we celebrate the arrival of the building permit on April 20, 2023. Steven Holl Architects with Architecture Acts and Nagata Acoustics won the international competition in 2018.
“We celebrate the completion of construction drawings and building permit with the hope of realizing this great public work for the joy of future generations. With deep gratitude to all who have worked on this project so far, we look forward to collaborating with the construction team. Ostrava’s legacy of music, the highest art, shall get a space of perfect acoustics and poetic inspiration.” – Steven Holl
Read excerpts from the City of Ostrava’s press release below:
20.4.23 – OSTRAVA
Ostrava has moved one step closer to its new concert hall – with the construction permit issued, the City is now seeking a contractor to build the hall.
Today, Ostrava’s City Council approved the proposed tender for a building contractor in a major public procurement contract – the reconstruction of the City of Ostrava Cultural Centre and the construction of a brand new concert hall as an extension to the existing building. The necessary construction permit has now been issued and will soon become legally effective. The project documentation for the construction process has also been completed. Selection of the building contractor is the next essential step to ensure that the continuity of the entire process is maintained, particularly with regard to securing external funding for the project. The architectural competition for a concert hall design was held in 2018, and since then the project has progressed and it will soon be possible to launch construction work; preparations are underway at the site.
The concert hall project putting Ostrava on Europe’s cultural map
The first plans to build a concert hall in Ostrava date back 160 years. There have been six attempts to build a concert hall since then, none of them successful. A new concert hall project formed part of Ostrava’s 2010 bid for the title European City of Culture 2015. Now the project is close to becoming a reality – the plans are ready, and the next step is to launch the construction work.
The current project is based on the results of an international architectural competition organized by the City of Ostrava, which was won by the renowned New York-based studio Steven Holl Architects in conjunction with the Czech studio Architecture Acts. The winning studios then produced the project documentation. The acoustic design for the new auditorium was the work of the world-famous Japanese company Nagana Acoustic, headed by Yasuhisu Toyota.
The location for the new hall – at the site of the existing City of Ostrava Cultural Centre – was chosen in order to revitalize the existing building as well as drive down both investment costs and operating costs by creating a single cultural complex – including new facilities for the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra. The existing cultural centre was not adequate for the orchestra’s needs, and the historic building is also in need of a full renovation – but as a legally protected cultural monument it cannot be substantially altered. In 2010 the prestigious American magazine Architizer ranked the new concert hall among the world’s most eagerly awaited new architectural projects. The City is also taking a systematic and coordinated approach to other projects which will transform the public spaces in the vicinity of the concert hall. The new hall has not yet been built, but in many ways it has already become a symbol of Ostrava, helping to raise the city’s profile on the European cultural map as a confident, forward-looking cultural hub.
The multifunctional complex will welcome an estimated 500 000 people per year, offering a range of facilities:
• A large auditorium with world-class acoustics (capacity 1300 people)
• Facilities for the 100 musicians of the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra
• A multifunctional chamber auditorium (capacity 515)
• An education centre (capacity 200)
• A world-class recording studio
• A theatre auditorium (capacity 490)
• A multifunctional lecture hall (capacity 120)
• Restaurants, cafés, function rooms, leisure facilities
Project timeline:
2018-2019 – architectural competition
11/2019 – work launched on the architectural study
09/2020 – work launched on the project documentation
04/2023 – land use/construction permit issued (still to become legally effective), work launched on phase 1 of the project (preparatory work, earthworks)
04/2023 – tender announced for the building contractor
09/2023 – external funding expected to be finalized
Q4/2023-2026 – construction work expected to begin