The acoustics of the new concert hall in Brno will be designed by the company Nagata

Nagata Acoustics for Isozaki + HuQuian Partners: Shanghai Symphony Hall, 2014

Brno - The acoustics of the new concert hall in Brno will likely be designed by Nagata. The team, which also includes Poland's Konior Studio and Brno's Architects Hrůša & Co., was recommended by the expert committee yesterday. The winner of the competition is to provide the project documentation for the above-ground part of the so-called Janáček Cultural Center. This was announced today by Kateřina Konečná from the Brno Philharmonic.

Two teams qualified for the competition round. The second team was excluded by the committee for failing to meet the conditions required by public procurement law. According to previously published information, the foundation of the second grouping was the globally operating, originally British company Arup.

There is now a fifteen-day period for filing an appeal, after which the city can conclude a contract with the winning team.

"The first task for the designers will be to connect the underground and above-ground parts of the building. Workers are now completing the first phase, the underground garage, which they are expected to hand over in January next year," stated Deputy Mayor Matěj Hollan (Žít Brno).

Nagata Acoustic has designed nearly 60 concert halls worldwide since 1971. In the qualification round, they showcased their most recent constructions from Paris, Shanghai, and Katowice. They are also known for the Elbphilharmonie building in Hamburg.

Another team member is architect Tomasz Konior, who designed the hall in Katowice in collaboration with Nagata. The trio is completed by Brno architect Petr Hrůša with his studio. He will ensure the authorizations and qualifications required by Czech law.

The city announced the selection procedure for the design team last August. "The team will propose the form of the concert hall - its shape, soundproofing, the placement of the organ, materials, and so on. In other words, the heart of the entire concert house," stated Marie Kučerová, director of the Brno Philharmonic.

The new concert hall is set to open in the 2020/2021 season. It will offer a capacity of over 1,200 seats and acoustic parameters of the highest world level. Total costs are expected to reach 1.276 billion crowns. According to the memorandum from October 1, 2016, the state will contribute 600 million crowns, the city of Brno 562 million, and the South Moravian Region 100 million crowns.