the first concept designs for a major new music venue in london have been released. designed by diller scofidio + renfro (DS+R), the unveiling of the ‘centre for music’ follows the news that local authorities have backed the next phase of work by providing £2.49 million to undertake further design development, fundraising, and business modelling. the project would see the creation of a brand new concert hall as well as spaces for performance, education, and rehearsal.
‘we want to unlock the urban potential of the centre for music’s site at the southern tip of the barbican by reclaiming the roundabout for the public realm, where the car’s isolating effects are keenly felt today,’ explains liz diller, founding partner of DS+R.
the cultural organizations behind the project — the barbican, london symphony orchestra, and guildhall school of music & drama — say that the ‘centre for music’ hopes to inspire a new generation with a love of music. the concept designs, drawn up by lead architects diller scofidio + renfro, propose reimagining and transforming the layout and public realm of the current museum of london site, creating open, welcoming and traffic free public spaces, while also linking to the barbican estate’s highwalk network.