Philharmonic Hall, Essen, Germany

Object Type
Concert Halls

Client
Saalbau und Philharmonie in Essen GmbH & Co. Realisierungsgesellschaft KG

Architects
Busmann + Haberer Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH, Köln

Completion
2005

Expertises
Room Acoustics
Audiovisual System Design
Building Acoustics

Located in the heart of Essen’s city center, the listed Saalbau was transformed into the modern Philharmonie Essen. At its core is the Alfried Krupp Hall, offering approximately 1,860 seats. The hall’s volume was optimized for concert acoustics by completely gutting the interior, lowering the floor, and raising the ceiling. A sloped parquet floor, multiple balconies, and flexible stage lifts also enable conference use for up to 400 participants.

The acoustic design aimed for the highest sound quality with flexible usage. To achieve optimal reverberation times—e.g., around 2.0 seconds for classical music—the room volume was precisely adapted. Soundproofing measures on façades, ceilings, floors, doors, and HVAC systems minimize noise intrusion. External noise sources such as traffic and nearby subway lines were countered through structural and technical decoupling. Large, movable sound-absorbing curtains enable acoustic adaptation for amplified music performances. The adjacent RWE Pavilion is also equipped with variable acoustic features such as curtains and ceiling reflectors to support a wide range of event formats with consistent sound quality.

The audiovisual system includes high-grade sound reinforcement, digital audio routing via fiber optics, digital mixing consoles, media playback devices, mobile projection systems, as well as paging, intercom, and voice evacuation systems. In the listed historic halls, mobile media racks provide wireless microphone receivers, signal interfaces, and control technology.

Image Copyright
1 Frank Vinken
2 Dieter Michel
3 Dieter Michel
4 Dieter Michel
5 Dieter Michel
6 Dieter Michel
7 Dieter Michel
8 MBBM-BSO