Vltava Philharmonic - exhibition of competition entries at CAMP

120 teams, 19 finalists, 1 winner. A new exhibition at CAMP presents the competitive models of the international architectural contest for the Vltava Philharmonic

From July 12 to September 18, the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning is hosting an exhibition of the international architectural competition for the new Vltava Philharmonic building. The exhibition features 19 competitive projects, which visitors can explore through large-scale projections, physical models, or a detailed comparative browser on a touchscreen panel. Guided tours, rides on the T3 Coupé tram, boat trips, outdoor cinema, workshops for children, and other accompanying programs are arranged for the exhibition.

In August of last year, Prague announced an international architectural competition for the new design of the Vltava Philharmonic. A total of 120 teams from 25 countries entered the competition. The finalists selected by an expert jury submitted 19 competition proposals, from which the winner of the contest, the Danish architectural studio Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), was selected in May of this year.

“The Czech Republic is a nation that has produced great composers, and Prague has several concert halls that are significant for their historical and architectural value. However, all of these are halls that do not meet the spatial or technical requirements of the 21st century. The youngest concert hall, the Smetana Hall in the Municipal House, is over 100 years old. The Vltava Philharmonic will change that, and I am extremely pleased that we already know how it will look and what Prague and the Czech Republic can look forward to,” says Petr Hlaváček, first deputy mayor for urban development.

The architects from BIG envisioned the concert hall for Prague as a rich cultural space both inside and outside. The trio of music halls will be complemented by quality facilities for the orchestra, a creative hub of the Municipal Library, and a café. The promenade zone by the river will extend in a cascade of terraces up to the roof, which will also feature a restaurant and a new observation point for viewing the famous Prague towers. The upcoming building is mainly known to the public through visualizations with a foggy Vltava. Visitors will thus get to know the broader context of the project and the entire story behind the design by the BIG studio, which achieved unanimous victory. This includes the White Hall, where technical diagrams, drawings, and models are available, along with an interview with Bjarke Ingels. Children will also have something to enjoy; they will have a LEGO building set prepared for designing their own philharmonic.

How else could the philharmonic have looked?

All nineteen finalists of one of the most prestigious architectural competitions in modern Czech history will be presented in the Black Hall. Among the top five were also two domestic architectural studios. Atelier M1 in collaboration with Barozzi Veiga took second place. In fourth place, right after the Slovenian architects Bevk Perović, were Petr Hájek Architekti. The list of the top five teams is closed by the renowned Norwegian studio Snøhetta.

“Visualizations, technical diagrams, physical models, but also the evaluations of individual proposals by the competition jury. All of this can be explored and compared in detail at the exhibition,” says the director of the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), Ondřej Boháč.

A rich accompanying program on the theme of City and Music is also prepared for the exhibition throughout the summer.

“Our goal was to elevate the experience of the exhibition to a higher level, so we have prepared an accompanying program for every summer Tuesday. We will embark on a boat trip on the Vltava, explore the surroundings of the Vltava Philharmonic through guided walks, visit the Rudolfinum and other musical venues in Prague, screen films, and have a music workshop for children. Come, it will be an experience,” says the head of CAMP, Štěpán Bärtl.