Before Edinburgh Park there was the development of Central Square and Central Square South in Newcastle. There was also Kings Place in London. This is the story behind the sound… The Kings Place Concert Hall.
Kings Place is the first modern purpose-built recital hall to be built in London. Almost 20 years ago, with limited precedent in the UK, Arup went with client, Parabola, and architect, Dixon Jones to Japan, where a number of small halls had been built in the preceding 20 years.
That visit helped to consolidate what the team wanted from the new venue – a space with excellent acoustics for a wide range of performance genres.
The Design of the hall is called “shoebox”, optimum for this scale of auditorium, with predominantly timber finishes surrounding the audience and a classic coffered ceiling.
The architectural detailing was all developed to scatter sound to give the optimal balance of musical clarity, warmth and tone for both the audience and performer.
The hall has become host to a myriad of different events, conferences and musical genres, from string quartet and piano recitals to jazz and contemporary classical music.
Watch the full video to learn more about the building and design of this special venue.
