OMA to renovate the Perth Concert Hall with WITH Architecture Studio

Built nine months before the Sydney Opera House (in 1973), the Perth Concert Hall was the first concert hall in Australia after World War II and is still a landmark for exceptional acoustic performance and high profile musical programming throughout the continent. The massive and rigorous volume, characterised by an imposing projecting roof plate supported by a structure of pillars and exposed primary and secondary beams and by a nonchalant use of raw concrete in the shell and in the finishes, recalls a limpid Brutalist style and stands out with authoritative grandeur in the urban context, testifying to the glories but also, unfortunately, to the weaknesses of a fifty-year-old architecture. OMA together with the WITH Architecture Studio revealed the renovation project for the complex, aimed at preserving its material and figurative characteristics and enhancing its focal role as an attractive and lively public space. 

The project includes the design of the external public spaces, the revision of the accesses and vertical and horizontal distribution routes, the increase in the reception and restoration services, exhibition spaces and backstage technical rooms to support the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO), plant upgrades and the improvement of accessibility and signage. In the words of OMA Australia Director, Paul Jones: “The Perth Concert Hall – in both its architecture and the performances it hosts – has much cultural significance for Perth. Our design will preserve the hall’s architectural integrity and world-class acoustics, while introducing new public spaces that tie the hall closer with the community”.

At the heart of the project there will be the second-floor lobby with services and a rooftop terrace overlooking the Swan River: the refurbished space will be directly accessible from the public plazas with large shaded areas to the north and south that will serve as new urban plazas, from which a ‘red carpet’ of recycled red brick will wind its way to guide visitors to the entrance. The first-floor lobby will be transformed into a spacious foyer that will serve as a lounge for musicians and an event space, encouraging interaction between artists and audience. Concerts in the Perth Concert Hall will take place until December 2024, then will pause once work begins in January 2025 and will restart in early 2028.