Stavanger Concert Hall
Stavanger , Norway

Drawing from the lines and forms made by the orchestra conductor’s motions while conducting Edvard Greig’s opera, Peer Gynt, it is the designer’s vision that one can sense the motion of Edvard Greig’s music through the auditoriums’ exterior form, and be able to “hear” the music when viewing the auditoriums from the sea or the city. The wavelike motion of the music, undulating in 6/8 time, characteristic of many sea themes, rises and falls in an organic, flowing way.

Another crucial aspect of the design concept is the need to create a financially self-sustaining home for the Stavanger Symphony and surrounding park. While the plan is flexible and doesn’t necessarily require it, there is room for a large amount of retail, hotel, conference, and educational space. A design program that encompasses the entire project site creates a unified environment for the concert hall and its surroundings.

The design program enables the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra to build a financially self-sustaining concert hall at a cost of $225million, with the involvement of the city council and community at large, but the taxpayers of Stavanger are not relied on as a funding source.