New York High Line architects to design new home for London Symphony Orchestra

The architects who created New York’s High Line have been tasked with designing the planned Centre for Music that will become home to Sir Simon Rattle’s London Symphony Orchestra.

On the line: DS+R, who turned a disused railway into a park, will design a building for Sir Simon Rattle’s orchestra

The Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) studio, which helped to transform the disused rail line in Manhattan into an urban park, will work with UK architects, acoustics experts and theatre designers on the building at London Wall.

Sir Simon said the announcement was “an exciting step forward” for the planned concert hall, which will be built on the site of the current Museum of London.

He said: “I am sure this outstanding design team will deliver plans for an exceptional new place for the enjoyment and understanding of music that is welcoming and open to all.”

It will be DS+R’s first building in the UK, but they have worked across the United States, South America, Russia and China. They are currently working on a new arts centre in New York as well as renovating the city’s Museum of Modern Art.

DS+R partner Elizabeth Diller said:   “The new building will meet the needs of artists and audiences today with a keen eye toward the future. It will be sensitive to the inherited character of the Barbican and its vital role in Culture Mile while directly engaging the contemporary urban life of the city. We aspire to make a hub where people want to spend their time, with or without a ticket.”

The City of London Corporation gave £2.5 million to fund a detailed business case and made the land available after the museum moves to its new home at West Smithfield.

The development is being led by the LSO, the Barbican and Guildhall School of Music & Drama. A “concept design” for the building will be submitted to the City of London Corporation by December next year.