Szczecin Concert Hall

Concert hall takes center stage in Szczecin, Poland

Vanceva™ Arctic Snow sets hall aglow.

It has been described as a glowing white castle, an icy crown, and a spiky glacier amidst the ordinary brick and mortar buildings in the heart of Szczecin, Poland, close to the river Oder. Its absence of color makes it stand out from any other building in the coastal city just as Barcelona-based architects Fabrizio Barozzi and Alberto Veiga intended. Szczecin Hall is a focal point, helping visitors and citizens alike orient around the city. Built on the site of the former “Konzerthaus” that was destroyed during World War II, the new philharmonic hall links past to present. It’s a tall building with a zigzagging roofline, making Szczecin Hall look like a cluster of smaller buildings rising from the massive block. Some compare its iconic profile to a giant ice organ, alluding to the purpose of the building.

The translucent ribbed-glass façade is assembled from Vanceva™ Arctic Snow interlayer between panes of SGG Diamant tempered glass. Behind the glass paneling is a dual purpose double-skin façade that provides improved acoustic insulation and natural ventilation. The translucency of the laminated glass allows the building to change appearance from day to night. By day, sunlight flows through the skylights to light the building.

At night, an LED lighting system makes the hall glow with white light that can be set to dim or intense, as well as use different colors for special occasions. Two concert halls are located separately inside the 13,000-square-meter building. Both made of concrete and clad in more traditional materials, the interior halls are in juxtapose to the exterior. For the larger, 951-seat symphony hall, the ceiling and walls feature gilded wooden triangular shapes for an effect that is both visually appealing and acoustically beneficial. The smaller, 192-seat chamber hall is a simple black box with a curved ceiling and a large window for natural lighting situated behind the audience.

This hall can also be used for seminars and film showings and has been characterized by the architects as the “moon” to the greater hall’s “sun.” Because of its unique beauty, Szczecin Concert Hall has been recognized across Poland and internationally, receiving the Eurobuild Awards 2014, the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture: Miesa van der Rohe Award 2015, ArchDaily 2015, and Designs of the Year 2015.