David Geffen Hall
“This is about having a home for music. A place that people are invited into. A place that is the concert hall of the greatest orchestra in the world, the New York Philharmonic.”
Deborah Borda, President and CEO of the New York Philharmonic
David Geffen Hall, home to New York’s Philharmonic, at Lincoln Center is more than a music hall. It’s a cultural landmark. At its core the concert hall has through the years celebrated memorable moments, hosting notable performers and patrons.
Designed originally by Max Abramovitz in 1962, the hall has gone under multiple renovations over the decades. These efforts have attempted to address the acoustical challenges, which were still unresolved.
The reimagination project reconceives the entire facility within its existing historic shell to create a more welcoming and intimate audience experience featuring state-of-the-art acoustics and technical capabilities. With a new concert hall as the building’s centerpiece, all public spaces are also being reconceptualized to provide greater opportunities for people to gather and more intuitive circulation throughout its public and back-of-house facilities.
The design transforms the existing concert hall from a cavernous rectilinear shoebox into a curvilinear unified room with flawless acoustics and optimized sightlines that fosters an intimate connection between the audience and performers. By relocating the stage forward by 25 feet and eliminating the proscenium, the seating wraps around the stage and brings the entire audience closer to the performers.
The new hall is a flexible space that is readily adaptable to a range of stage and seating configurations supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure. In addition to a highly versatile performance space, the new hall also features updated back-of-house facilities to accommodate the wide-ranging needs of performers and production teams.
New interior public spaces include a reconfigured main lobby, new entrance with improved visitor flow and accessibility, a large media wall visible from the street, expanded food and beverage service with access to the terrace, and new promontories overlooking the lobby level create a more welcoming and unified environment.
| Client | Lincoln Center and New York Philharmonic |
| Completion | 2022 |
| Architect, Public Spaces | Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners |
| Photography | Michael Moran, Richard Barnes |
| Awards |
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2023 Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards – Spaces and Places Finalist
2023 AZURE AZ Award of Merit, Commercial and Institutional Interiors 2023 The Architectural Woodwork Institute – Award of Excellence 2022-23 Wood Design & Building Awards – Citation 2022 CISC Ontario Steel Awards for Excellence in Steel Construction – Projects Outside Ontario |
| Team |
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Carlos Calpe Gargallo
Sherri Catt Kholisile Dhliwayo Marie Divivier Mehdi Ghiyaei Emre Goktay Simge Goktay Jim Graves Brandon Griffin Elizabeth Gyde Stephanie Huss Taylor Knoche Matthew Lella Liheng Li Michael Lukasik Darlene Magno Christiano Mahler Gary McCluskie Sarah Mercer Maya Orzechowska Graeme Reed Antra Roze Matthew Schmid Donald Schmitt Antonia Stanev Nigel Tai Nika Teper Michael Treacy Jose Trinidad Brian Tseng Vanessa Valladares Sybil Wa Adam Ward Russell Wooten Coco Xiong Albert Yu Javier Zeller Wei Zhao |
