BERLIN PHILHARMONIC CONCERT HALL

Designed by Hans Scharoun; completed 1963 Berlin, Germany
In 1956 Hans Scharoun (1893–1972) won an invited competition of 12 architects to
design a home for Germany’s premier orchestra. Now considered to be one of Scharoun’s
crowning achievements, the Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall (1963) is outstanding both
for its auditorium design and for its dynamic spatial experiences. The site in Berlin
originally chosen for the competition was on the Bundesallee adjacent to a 19th-century
school, the Joachimsthaler. Scharoun’s design used the Philharmonic building to create a
public square on axis with Stüler’s Matthäi Church. In 1959, however, the Berlin Senate
changed the site to the Tiergarten in anticipation of the development of a new cultural
center for the city of Berlin, an attempt to revitalize an area that had been devastated in
the war. The basic form and concept of Scharoun’s design remained the same, but he
adjusted the configuration of the foyer and ancillary spaces to accommodate the new site.
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Scharoun completed the adaptations and overseeing of the construction in conjunction
with the architect Werner Weber. Work proceeded rapidly, and within three years of the
laying of the foundation stone in 1960, the auditorium opened on 15 October 1963 with a
concert directed by Herbert von Karajan, a supporter of Scharoun in the early phases of
the competition.
At the time of its completion, both the critics and the public lauded the auditorium
design for its innovation, but they derided the exterior form, likening its sweeping roofs
to a circus tent. Originally left as rough-finished concrete and painted a yellow ochre
color reminiscent of many of the historic buildings in Berlin, the exterior of the
auditorium was faced in the 1980s with golden anodized aluminum panels, further
accentuating the central form. In a striking contrast to the dominance of the central
auditorium is the three-story administrative wing, which angles away from the auditorium
as a painted white rectangular mass.
Particularly significant, however, is the fact that Scharoun, who considered the
creation of interior and exterior spaces of equal importance, used the foyer as a mediating
space so that both site and auditorium requirements could be accommodated. The foyer
reaches out into the site, drawing the visitor into the entry, where, once inside, he or she
confronts a dynamic, fluid space. Angled walls break up the edges of the foyer, blurring
the boundaries between one area and another. Located near the entry are amenities, such
as ticket booths and coat rooms, which are split between the multiple levels. Within the
foyer, dramatic stairs rise seemingly at random but are actually artfully controlled and
successfully accommodate the large number of people attending the performances. Using
the placement of the stairs to guide circulation, Scharoun creates a dynamic
nonhierarchical yet elegant spatial experience that removes the visitor psychologically
from the world outside.
Scharoun’s concern for the relationship of the individual to the community carried
over into his design of the Philharmonic. He assembled a group of artists and engineers
whose work underscores his theories. Erich Fritz Reuter’s slate mosaic floor patterns
guide the visitor through the foyer toward the two main stairs, which are further
highlighted by Alexander Camaro’s colored-glass windows and a sloping glass skylight.
Light, shadow, and subtle color activate the daytime experience of the foyer. In contrast,
the evening lighting is more subdued, with pendant “dandelion” lights designed by
Günther Symmank and lit handrails along the stairs.
Exceedingly aware of the cultural and political importance of the building,
Scharoun designed an architectural experience that creates a community
through the dissolution of traditional barriers between the listeners and the
performers. Scharoun explained the generative idea for his design as
“music in the centre—this, from the very beginning, has been the guiding
principle which has shaped the new Philharmonic auditorium.” In addition
to his generative concept of the centralized performance space, Scharoun
described the auditorium metaphorically as a landscape where banks of
angled seating become “vineyards” sloping into the “valley” of the stage
and the ceiling a “skyscape” floating above. The angled groups of seating
prevent the creation of a single focal point, forcing the viewers to visually
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address the other listeners, thus subduing the overall symmetry of the plan.
The auditorium is equipped with a 72-register organ built by Schuke with
Professor Michael Schneider, facilities for television production and
recording, locations throughout for small additional groups of musicians,
and the ability to lower the orchestra floor in sections to accommodate a
variety of performance types. None of the 2,218 seats, however, is more
than 100 feet away from the stage, and only 270 seats are located behind the orchestra. The overall impression in the auditorium remains one of intimacy.
The acoustical design of the auditorium was one of Scharoun’s primary concerns.
Through his work with the engineer Lothar Cremer, they achieved reverberation times in
the auditorium ranging between 2 and 2.4 seconds. A triple-shell roof system and doublewall
design buffer the auditorium from outside noise, and the limestone walls
surrounding the orchestra act as reflectors.
Currently, adjacent to the Philharmonic Concert Hall is the Chamber Music Hall
(1978). Although the initial sketch was by Scharoun, Edgar Wisniewski completed the
hall after Scharoun’s death. Unfortunately, Scharoun’s original ideas regarding the siting
of the Philharmonic were never completed. Later, in conjunction with his design of the
State Library (1967–78), Scharoun produced another site design that included the
Philharmonic site. However, this was never completed either, and there remains a
disjointed quality to the site.
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The recent resurgence of interest in Scharoun’s work in general and the Philharmonic
Concert Hall in particular indicates the influence of his work beyond the labels of
German Expressionist or organic architecture, an interest gained from his friend Hugo
Häring. Scharoun’s prioritization of spatial experiences and expressive designs has
influenced many later 20th-century architects. The Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall
remains one of the most unique architectural spatial experiences, as well as one of the
most successful concert halls built to date, and is a flourishing cultural addition to the city
of Berlin.