Building Talks Event

22/11/2011 No comments

Easily recognisable from a distance due to its distinctive silhouette, the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra’s new purpose-built venue will create a dynamic cultural space in the heart of Katowice, and generate many excellent business, cultural and social opportunities for both the city and the surrounding region. The concert hall will be one of the biggest in Poland, seating 1,800 people and has been designed according to the highest acoustic standards, using state of the art technologies.

On 29th of November, architect Tomasz Konior, from Konior Studio, the Silesian architectural atelier, and engineers Sławomir Pastuszka and Paweł Lisiak from international multidisciplinary engineering consultancy Buro Happold will reveal the details of the new building’s design process at Warsaw Technical University’s Faculty of Architecture; the discussion will start at 12:15.

NOSPR is part of a revitalisation project taking place on the site of an old coal mine, KKW “Katowice” land. The building will have strong links to the city, and, together with the neighbouring square, park, gardens, amphitheatre and water areas, will create a recreation area for city dwellers.

The building’s acoustics were designed by internationally renowned Nagata Acoustics whose previous projects including the Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles and the new Philharmonic Hall in Paris. The team tested the interior acoustics using a 1:10 scale model, a first in Poland, and produced especially for NOSPR.

The event at Warsaw’s Technical University will be the fifth debate in the Building Talks series, aimed at promoting dialogue between engineers and architects in the design process. Following the speakers’ presentations there will be a chance to discuss the challenges faced by both the Buro Happold and Konior Studio teams working on this unique building. They will showcase the design process and the innovative solutions that have been used from both an engineering and architectural perspective.

Building Talks is the joint initiative between the Architectural Faculty of the Warsaw Technical University, Buro Happold and the Happold Trust Foundation. The Happold Trust is engaged in promoting education, supporting new technologies, and research and training among engineers. It supports recent graduates through internships and scholarships.