This Concert Hall project is proposed on the new waterfront in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. The Beirut Philharmonic is designed as a national cultural complex and would be the first concert hall in Lebanon. The program consists of a 1200 seats concert hall,the auditorium (500 seats), rehearsal and recording studio (250 seats), the museum of music, the ballroom, as well as restaurants and cafés on the quays and artists' workspace facilities.The architectural concept is that of an albatross suspending its flight for a concert. The "albatross" structure is a 130m x 73m three dimensional metallic megastructure relying on 2 concrete bases. It is a metaphor of Beirut, the capital, who is always compared to the phoenix that rises from the ashes. It is also the curve of a violin or a giant wave.The architecture and acoustics of the main concert hall are studied so to allow flexibility to different types of production from orchestral concerts to theater, opera or pop/rock concerts with a standing audience.A pedestrian bridge links the old historic city center to the new marina neighborhood along the philharmonic's public square.
