The Vltava Philharmonic Hall is one of the most anticipated architectural projects in Prague in the coming decades. The City of Prague, in cooperation with The Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR Prague), announced an international architectural competition to design a new concert hall that would meet world standards at the end of August 2021. A total of 115 teams from 25 countries applied. In November 2021, the international jury announced the selected finalists, who submitted 19 competition proposals. In May 2022, a winner was selected—the Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group. They subsequently developed the winning design into a detailed architectural study, which you can now take a look at.
The architectural study proposal shapes the Vltava Philharmonic Hall as a meandering path from the riverbank to the roof terrace. A new escalator helps the flow of visitors both indoors and outdoors, the newly added array of greenery leaves space for a plaza and community events, and the building interacts with its environment through the modification of the viaduct underpass in its close proximity.
The heart of the Vltava Philharmonic Hall will be its auditoriums, with their own facilities, and its public spaces, but an equally important role will be held by the creative hub—the center of which will become the music library. The building will be home to the Czech Philharmonic, the FOK Prague Symphony Orchestra and the Music Department of the Prague Municipal Library. The architectural study also takes into account participation with the public, namely residents of Prague 7, local community stakeholders, as well as discussions with experts in acoustics, transport and greenery.
The Vltava Philharmonic Hall will become the main initiator and accelerator for the development of the neglected area of Bubny-Zátory. In the coming years, a contractor needs to be selected, and project documentation for the building permit must be completed: this stage will take about four years and will involve hundreds of experts from all over the world. Construction should start in 2027 and the Vltava Philharmonic Hall is expected to open in 2032.
