Thomas Heatherwick has landed the job of redesigning the Lincoln Center’s David Geffen concert hall in New York, it has been announced.
The Garden Bridge-designer will team up with Diamond Schmitt Architects on the $500m renovation works to the hall and atrium. They were plucked from a shortlist of 100 practices and effectively replace British starchitect Norman Foster, who won the competition for its renovation back in 2005.
David Geffen Hall – formerly known as the Avery Fisher Hall and renamed after DreamWorks founder David Geffen, who recently donated $100 m towards the building’s renovation – was originally designed by architect Max Abramovitz. It opened in 1962, but has been plagued by acoustic problems throughout the decades. Numerous attempts to revamp the hall have stalled.
Final designs are yet to be revealed, however the shell of the building will be left intact. Heatherwick Studios and Diamond Schmitt Architects will also work closely with acoustic design firm Akustiks, as well as theatre design studio Fisher Dachs on the plans.
The building’s renovation is the last piece of the Lincoln Center puzzle following practice Diller Scofidio & Renfro’s extensive campus redesign.
Work is expected to start in 2019. When complete, the hall will also be the permanent home of ‘Legends at Lincoln Centre: the Performing Arts Hall of Fame.’
