Diller Scofidio + Renfro's design concept for London Centre for Music is unveiled

It's one big step forward for the London Centre for Music team with today's release of Diller Scofidio + Renfro's design concept for the project. DS+R was first announced as lead architect for the project back in 2017, and teamed up with Sheppard Robson, Nagata Acoustics, Charcoalblue and BuroHappold, and AECOM as the project’s cost consultant.

Serving as a new gateway for London's emerging Culture Mile, the Centre for Music will be situated near the Tate Modern, the Millennium Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, and will be in between two major new Elizabeth Line stations.

“We want to unlock the urban potential of the Centre for Music's site at the southern tip of the Barbican by reclaiming the roundabout for the public realm, where the car’s isolating effects are keenly felt today,” DS+R Founding Partner Elizabeth Diller said in a statement. “A vital public space seamlessly connects to the foyer and extends a welcome to everyone, with or without a performance ticket. The foyer would be abuzz day and night, filled with activity and glimpses into the inner life of the Hall.”

The concert hall will be designed to not only create exceptional symphonic sound, but will be flexible to accommodate creative activities across disciplines and musical genres, Diller explains.

Currently estimated to cost about £288 million (about $371.4 million), the project will include a world-class concert hall and spaces for performances, rehearsal, and music education. 

Operated by The Barbican, the Centre for Music will be the new home of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s new Institute for Social Impact. It would also allow all three partners to increase their current music education programs for schools and communities across London.

For this next phase, the City of London Corporation provided an additional £2.49 million to fund further design development and support business modeling and capital funding plans. The next phase of work for the project is currently expected to take one year to complete. 

Check out an animation of the project design right below.