Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has been announced as the winner of the international architectural competition for the design of the Vltava Philharmonic Hall, Prague, against a strong list of 18 other contenders. An international jury decided to appoint BIG to design the long-planned project, with the practice describing the scheme’s “ambition to attract not only classical music fans, but also the general public.” The winning design comprises three halls, and will also house the music department and the creative hub of the Municipal Library of Prague, along with a café/rooftop restaurant. The roof will be “a continuation of the public space of the square,” said BIG, allowing visitors to climb to the top without having to enter the building, and enjoy a “unique panoramic view of the whole of Prague.”
The studio proposes to source wood from the Šumava National Park in the south of the Czech Republic for the construction, including wooden ceilings which will “permeate from the exterior to the interior, symbolically highlighting the theme of the Vltava Philharmonic Hall’s openness to its surroundings,” said BIG. With glass being a key element typical of Czech architecture, the material will “dominate the facade of the building.”
The Vltava Philharmonic will be the home of both the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK and the Czech Philharmonic, and will help “kick-start” the transformation of one of Prague’s most important brownfield sites, said the architects. The city plans that the new Bubny-Zátory district will eventually become home to 25,000 residents in 11,000 apartments. Construction work is expected to start in 2027, with the new concert hall expected to complete in 2032.