Royal Concertgebouw | Amsterdam

Concertgebouw = “concert building’

HISTORY

Construction started in 1883

Finished in 1888

Architect Adolf Leonard (Dolf) van Gendt1

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1 Entrance2 Great Hall3 Great Hall Conductor Spot 4 Wardrobe 5 North Foyer6 South Foyer and Cafe7 Spiegalzaal Hall Foyer8 Speigalzaal Hall

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56

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9 Balcony Foyer10 Balcony seats11 North Balcony Foyer12 South Balcony Foyer13 Podium seats

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Architectural Facts• Seats 1,974 in the main

hall

• 144’ long, 92’ wide and 56’

high

• The small recital hall

is 66’ long, 15’ wide and

seats 437

Maarschalkerweerd-organ

• Was not present in 1888

• In 1890 an auction was

held to purchase the

organ

• Organ builder was: Michael

Maarschalkerweerd

• In 1990 the organ was

restored (took 2 years)1

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Main entrance

Great Hall

Recital Hall

Renovation

In 1972 Concertgebouw was declared protected monument

1983 the building was sinking due to rotting foundations

From 1985-1988 the Hall got a new side wing. This created a new

entrance designed by architect Pi de Bruijn. 1

“This wing, with its covered promenade, is fully in keeping with the original building. The design is sim-ple, with a lot of glass, so the beauty of the old build-ing continues to shine through. Even the colour, light grey, fits in well with The Concertgebouw.” - Pi de Brujin

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Circulation

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Circulation

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ACOUSTICS 1. Listener envelopment: Sense of being surrounded by sound (time period >80 milliseconds)2. Reverberant character3. Diffusion4. Sound strength5. Clarity6. Warmth 3

Acoustics

Flat / gently sloping floors

Elevated orchestra platform(59 inches)

Balcony is positioned in the same horizontal plane as the orchestra. This allows the audience to get the first sound reflections from the orchestra.

surrounded by sound3

surrounded by sound

Acoustics

Time it takes for the sound to die out.

In large halls that are at full capacity, it takes 1.8-2.2 seconds for the sound to fully die out.

Shorter times are preferred for Classical music, while longer times are for romantic music.

Mid-frequency reverberation time: 2.0 seconds

Successful halls limit the seats to no more than 2,400. Sound strength is greater in smaller halls, since the audience absorbs most of the sound.

Seats: 2,037

romantic music

classical music

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AcousticsMultiple surfaces to break up (diffuse) the sound3

Today900 events (80% concerts)700,000 visitors a year

Privately financed- 30% from ticket sales - 22% from rentals- 20% from hospitality- 20% from sponsoring and fundraising - 8% other (5% municipal grant included)

Education program reaches over 30,000 children a year.

“Acoustics excellent, tickets quite easy to get hold of, brilliant new bar and entrance areas - a very pleasant evening in Amsterdam.”

“I’ve been here before, but was lucky enough to go again this trip and caught a concert of Wagner’s Lohengrin....what a beautiful concert. The venue is very lovely, built in the late 1800’s with enough design elements to make it graceful and visually appealing, but not too much for it to feel too “grand” or imposing. It’s quite comfortable and has a sense of intimacy about it despite the main hall having the capacity for some 2000+ people. The seats are very comfortable and the temperature was perfect - not cold or so warm you’d want to fall asleep. The best thing about this place are the acoustics which are wonderful. The sounds are heavenly. The performance was top tier.”

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The Concertgebouw is one of most successful concert halls in the world. It’s location along a public park in Amsterdam attracts people into the Hall. The renovations have kept the Hall up to date on acoustical qualities, while staying true to its classical form.

Concertgebouw’s rectangular shape, stage, ceiling height, seats, balcony and decorative elements strengthen the musical quality of the hall. The layout and circulation patterns are simple and easy to follow. Each wing has its own foyer with either a cafe or bar. The design also provides a smaller scale hall to attract more classical, intimate performances.

The design and architectural elements made for an acoustical experience that attracts visitors and musicians worldwide. The Concertgebouw will always be an architectural icon and precedent study in concert hall designs.

Conclusion

Sources

1. “Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, The Netherlands): Hours, Address, Tickets &amp; Tours, Theater Reviews - TripAdvisor.” <i>Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, The Netherlands): Hours, Address, Tickets &amp; Tours, Theater Reviews - TripAdvisor</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. &lt;http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g188590-d189383-Reviews-Concertgebouw-Amsterdam_North_Holland_ Province.html&gt;.

2. “Home.” <i>Het Concertgebouw</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. &lt;http://www.concertgebouw.nl/en/&gt;.

3. Long, Marshall. “What Is so Special about Shoebox Halls? Envelopment, Envelopment, Envelopment.” Acou. Today Acoustics Today 5.2 (2009): 21. Shoebox. Marshall Long Acoustics. Web. 10 Feb. 2106. <http://mlacoustics.com/PDF/Shoebox.pdf>.

4. “OV-kunstkaart - Het Concertgebouw, Plattegrond.” <i>OV-kunstkaart - Het Concertgebouw, Plattegrond</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. &lt;http://www.ov-kunstkaart.nl/146/nl/het-concertgebouw-plattegrond&gt;.