Temporary venue Tonhalle Maag, Zurich, Switzerland

Object Type
Concert Halls

Client
Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich

Architects
Spillmann Echsle Architekten AG, Zürich

Completion
2017

Expertises
Room Acoustics
Building Acoustics
Teststand Measurements
Audiovisual System Design

At the start of the season on 27 September 2017, the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra moved to the Tonhalle Maag on the site of the former Maag cogwheel factory in Zurich West for three years. A concert hall was integrated into the previous event hall there. This hall will serve as a high-quality alternative venue for the entire renovation period of the Tonhalle, which is recognised worldwide for its excellent acoustics. The entire remodelling and installation was completed in just ten months. The total budget of ten million Swiss francs was adhered to, six million of which went into the concert hall.

The alternative venue is a classic rectangular hall that was fitted into the existing hall. This posed particular challenges in terms of acoustic measures and spatial planning: For example, many right angles in the hall were broken up with the help of diffuse sound-reflecting wall panels. Spruce wood was used as the material for the wall and ceiling design, while oak wood was used for the floor. The ceiling elements are filigree and diffusely structured. A total of 70 wooden panels suspended from the ceiling distribute the sound evenly throughout the hall. Twenty-four of these alone are suspended above the podium, are slightly convex in shape and can be flexibly adjusted. The Vivace electronic room acoustics system from MBBM Acoustic Solutions GmbH is also installed. This allows the sound to be fine-tuned for different types of event. The concert hall offers space for 1224 mobile, velvet-covered seats: 784 in the stalls and 440 in the gallery. To minimise the volume of the ventilation system, over two million holes in the floor are tapered. A highly sound-insulating partition wall protects the concert hall acoustically from the neighbouring event area.

Image Copyright
1 Hannes Henz, Zürich für Spillmann Echsle Architekten AG, Zurich
2 Hannes Henz Architekturfotograf
3 Hannes Henz Architekturfotograf
4 Hannes Henz Architekturfotograf