Royal Festival Hall
royal festival hall seat concert dance talk venue within southbank centre london england situated south bank river thames far hungerford bridge london borough lambeth grade listed building first postwar building become protected london philharmonic orchestra philharmonia orchestra orchestra age enlightenment london sinfonietta chineke aurora resident orchestra southbank centre hall built part festival britain london county council officially opened may lccs successor greater london council abolished festival hall taken art council managed together queen elizabeth hall purcell room opened hayward gallery eventually becoming independent art organisation known southbank centre april complex includes several reception room bar restaurant clore ballroom accommodating seated dinner large head shoulder bust nelson mandela ian walter created stand walkway hall hungerford bridge approach viaduct originally made glassfibre repeatedly vandalised recast bronze complex variety open space foyer popular social workrelated meeting closest tube station waterloo across river via jubilee bridge embankment charing cross festival hall project led london county council chief architect robert matthew gathered around young team talented designer including leslie martin eventually lead project edwin williams peter moro along furniture designer robin day wife textile designer lucienne day acoustical consultant hope bagenal working member building research station henry humphreys peter parkin william allen martin time taken nordic activity alvar aalto gunnar asplund figure really drove project forward herbert morrison labour party politician insisted matthew martin deputy architect treating festival hall special project sketch martin show design concert hall egg box strength design arrangement interior space central staircase ceremonial feel move elegantly different level light air concerned whilst scale project demanded monumental building ape triumphal classicism many earlier public building wide open foyer bar restaurant intended meeting place separate bar different class patron public space built around auditorium also effect insulating hall noise adjacent railway bridge quote leslie martin suspended auditorium provides building major attribute great sense space opened within building flowing circulation symmetrically placed staircase gallery became known egg box hall built used modernism favourite material reinforced concrete alongside luxurious element including beautiful wood derbyshire fossilised limestone exterior building bright white intended contrast blackened city surrounding large area glass façade meant light coursed freely throughout interior night glass let light inside flood onto river contrast darkness befell rest london dusk hall originally seated cantilevered box often described looking like drawer pulled hurried burglary none compromised sightline ceiling wilfully sculptural conceit edge building technology turn way beyond contemporary understanding acoustic robin day designed furniture auditorium used clearly articulated structure design bent plywood steel original building lushly planted roof terrace level two foyer café able spill onto terrace looking river original entrance positioned side building enabling visitor arrive directly stair leading auditorium foundation stone laid prime minister clement attlee site former lion brewery built building constructed holland hannen cubitts cost £ million officially opened may gala concert attended king george vi queen elizabeth conducted sir malcolm sargent sir adrian boult first general manager e bean previously managed hallé orchestra overwhelmed shock breathless delight originality beauty interior felt instantly transported far future another planet said journalist bernard levin first impression building pipe organ built – harrison harrison durham specification london county council consultant ralph downes also supervised tonal finishing designed wellbalanced classical instrument embracing number rich varied ensemble alone combination could equal dynamic scale orchestra choral grouping addition coping entire solo repertoire design principle enshrined construction gave rise whole new school organ building known english organ reform movement influencing uk alone cathedral organ coventry blackburn concert hall organ fairfield hall croydon bridgewater hall manchester also innumerable organ country influenced however design organ housing made maintenance difficult become unusable consequently completely removed restoration hall began restoration updating harrison harrison third organ reinstalled remainder reinstalled voicing completed festival hall one first concert hall world built using application scientific principle theoretical experimental hope bagenal colleague building research station formed integral part design team acoustic behaviour seat measured tested laboratory enable exacting design careful consideration external noise problem undertaken following opening hall criticism certain aspect acoustic partially attributable fact original specification room surface determined acoustic consultant ignored building process specific problem performer difficulty hearing platform angled blast side wall plywood reflector projected sound away stage general consensus hall dry reverberant enough particularly low frequency bass tone weak definition excellent chamber modern music hall effective music late classical romantic period sir john barbirolli commented everything sharp clear impact fullness climax water source heat pump used heat building winter cool building summer water extracted river thames hungerford bridge using centrifugal pump heat extracted river water using heat pump compressor driven two rollsroyce merlin engine adapted run town gas highly successful providing heating cooling hall oversized sold festival britain structure new festival hall technically stretched maintenance soon required building substantially altered adding foyer terrace river side building extending footprint ft dressing room rear alteration façades overlooking river removed decorative tile altering scandinavian modernism building primary public face favour plainer hardedged style building original entrance sequence much compromised change later addition raised concrete walkway around building serve neighbouring queen elizabeth hall purcell room hayward built leo beranek american acoustic engineer undertaken measurement world leading concert hall identified interior treatment auditorium absorbing much sound authority prolonged experiment become convinced improvement hall reverberation could achieved treatment surface longer reverberation would require modification main structure reducing seating capacity provision new ceiling considered costly particularly hypothetical gain warmth resonance might well sacrifice positive quality hall generally esteemed example clarity comparative uniformity acoustic response freedom echo known ancient greek developed technique using vas built auditorium added resonance strengthen tone improve quality though effect weak building research station developed electronic method lengthening reverberation time system called assisted resonance acoustical energy lost surface hall replaced acoustical energy supplied loudspeaker microphone associated loudspeaker limited one frequency placing microphone inside helmholtz resonator fitted ceiling range size resonated wide range low frequency critic musician thought adequately reverberate hall channel used cover frequency range hz hz increasing reverberation time hz octave band however system never fully solved problem aged became unreliable occasionally emitting odd sound performance switched returned acoustic poor state bad make performer play lose live according sir simon rattle building underwent substantial renovation aimed improving poor acoustic building layout led architect diane haigh ally morrison consulting engineer firm max fordham llp price myers structural interior concert hall space almost entirely intact remodelling saw stage canopy wall rebuilt plainer rectangular form seating reduced slightly including choir seating carried face opposition conservationist led twentieth century society advice acoustic firm kirkegaard associate lack reverberation difficult performance condition musician corrected change fabric auditorium surface previously absorbed sound transformed support sustain sound tapestry back wall box gathered increase reverberation redeployed together additional absorbent blind stage around hall whenever needed wooden wall panel hall relined change acoustic quality undulating plaster ceiling panel completely reconstructed using robust material provide greater warmth sound support bass frequency new adjustable acoustic canopy placed stage width allow bass frequency resonate space stage treble frequency reflected back improve feedback performer stage reconfigured provide space performer arrangement wall around stage altered significantly original robin day designed seat restored reupholstered make comfortable acoustically appropriate major refurbishment presented opportunity add infrastructure venue make process getin getout single day easier add flexibility venue theatre consultant carr angier worked isg interior exterior stage technology create new working space stage area four large movable lighting bridge capable load sharing lift large touring production without need custom rigging delstar engineering supplied eleven lift form stage platform allow stage layout reconfigured many way suit nature performance taking place choir bench wheeled provide level floor staged dance performance space seat row extended mm rebuilding concrete floor stall loss seat cooling introduced reversing airflow auditorium building comprising seven commercial unit erected opposite western side hall many southbank administrative office shop restaurant added along river frontage venue officially reopened public june refurbishment estimated cost region £ million film documenting refurbishment entitled tomorrow directed paul kelly produced andrew hinton organ reconfigured suit new architectural acoustic requirement depth reduced cm basic principle layout respected following successful campaign raise £ million full restoration reinstallation organ original organ builder harrison harrison finally completed reinstallation august work including rebalancing pipework followed completed time reinauguration organ march exactly year since first inaugurated first orchestral organ concert march recorded london philharmonic orchestra live label organ remains third largest organ great britain number pipe pipe speaking stop organ sound uncomfortably constrained hall acoustic seldom played either recital accompany orchestral concert medium related royal festival hall wikimedia common southbank centre website – booking rfh queen elizabeth hall purcell room hayward