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 centre of Essen, the existing building was converted into a modern philharmonic hall for high-class concerts of all kinds. Achieving the volume required for the desired reverberation involved gutting the original hall completely and adding an extra basement storey. The ceiling was raised considerably. The new Alfried Krupp Hall now has raking stalls, a rear balcony, choir seating as well as three side balconies for an audience of up to 1,860.
Reopened in 2005, the Saalbau in Essen houses the Alfried Krupp Saal in the historic building shell as a new concert and multifunctional event hall. The neighbouring hall wing with listed halls from the 1950s was renovated. In addition, a modern extension was built in the form of the RWE Pavilion.

An indispensable prerequisite for good acoustics is to facilitate the necessary silence in the hall. This called for soundinsulating measures on facades, enclosing walls, roof constructions, floor constructions, entrance doors etc. Sources of noise outside the building such as traffic or noise from the nearby underground railway had to be taken into account in the acoustic design. In addition to the wide range of classical music performed, electroacoustically amplified jazz concerts take place, too. The room acoustics in the concert hall can be adjusted by way of variable measures in the form of sound-absorbing curtains to achieve the acoustics required for amplified live music.
Next to the philharmonic hall (Alfried Krupp Hall), a new hall, the socalled RWE Pavilion, was built. This hall is provided with curtains for adjusting the acoustics as well as with mobile electroacoustical amplification systems. As a result, a multi-purpose usage of the hall, e.g. for
receptions, festive events as well as for conferences and jazz concerts, is possible – good acoustics guaranteed.

The Alfried Krupp Hall offers space for up to 1,900 spectators in the version with ascending row seating. The stalls can be raised to a level position using lifting platform technology and can be used by approx. 400 congress participants with parliamentary seating.
The media technology equipment includes a high-quality sound system for voice reproduction and music recordings, a digital audio router, which also enables connection to the other room areas and the OB van connections via fibre optics, digital mixing console technology, professional players/recorders and wired and wireless microphones. Two mobile, flown screens are available for front and rear projection. Signal processing is carried out with scalers / seamless switches, and distribution with the aid of video routers in various formats, TP and fibre optic transmission technology. The signals from remote-controlled 3-chip camera systems can be fed in. A monitoring system, intercom technology and a call and monitoring system allow the operating personnel to organise events smoothly. The call system is also used for voice evacuation of the building complex in the event of an emergency. Four historic halls can be used for congresses with 30 to 160 participants per hall with parliamentary seating and up to 240 with row seating. For reasons of monument protection, they are mainly equipped with mobile media technology systems. The RWE Pavilion, a modern extension, offers space for 180 or 400 participants. Media trolleys accommodate feeders, wireless microphone receivers, mixing consoles and interfaces to the audio router.

Image Copyright
1 Dieter Michel
2 Dieter Michel
3 Dieter Michel
4 Dieter Michel
5 Dieter Michel
6 MBBM-BSO