The Palais de la musique et des congrès (official English name: Strasbourg Convention Centre) is a music venue and

convention center A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...

in the Wacken district of

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, France, close to the European quarter. It is home to the

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

, Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg since 1975.

History

In 1962, the historic venue of the philharmonic orchestra, the Palais des Fêtes, was starting to get old. The city also did not have a proper convention center. The mayor, Pierre Pflimlin turned to famed architect,

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , ; ), was a Swiss-French architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer, who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture ...

for a project. Le Corbusier started working on the commission and made drafts and a wooden model but died before he could provide definitive plans. This was the second time Le Corbusier had unsuccessfully tried to build in Strasbourg, after a failed housing project in 1951. The Palais de la musique et des congrès in its first form was built 1973–1975 in a completely different style and shape than what Le Corbusier had envisioned. The hexagonal and comparatively low building was centered around the city's main

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

, the ''Salle Érasme'' (1,876 seats after modernization). In 1989, a first new wing was added to the northwest, including a second auditorium, the ''Salle

Schweitzer Schweitzer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965), German theologian, musician, physician, and medical missionary, winner of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize * Anton Schweitzer (1735–1787), German op ...

'' (1,182 seats after modernization). A third auditorium was opened in the northwest wing in 2016, the ''Salle Cassin'', with and 515 seats, and a new wing to the west of the Salle Érasme housed a multifunctional hall."Symbiosis of old and new behind stainless steel arcades – The Strasbourg Convention Centre (2013-2016)"
archello.com
Archive copy (12 January 2022)
Between 2012 and 2016, and especially 2013–2015, the Palais was thoroughly renovated and modernized to the designs of the Austrian architectural firm and French firm Rey-Lucquet & Associés. The second new wing was added and the existing spaces were redistributed in order to accommodate more visitors and guests. The

surface area The surface area (symbol ''A'') of a solid object is a measure of the total area that the surface of the object occupies. The mathematical definition of surface area in the presence of curved surfaces is considerably more involved than the d ...

of the building now stands at . As described by the Archello website, the architects "decided to further develop and expand on the existing central motif of equilateral triangles" and "continued the use of the typical hexagon in the new buildings." "They also created a completely new silhouette with the new buildings and stainless steel arcades." "An almost kilometer-long arcade wraps around and encloses the entire building complex, giving it a distinct profile. The fifteen-meter high and six-ton steel columns covered in angularly folded stainless steel sheets form an attractive, dynamic outer shell with their twisting rhythms." "In December 2016, the recently completed project was nominated for the European Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2017." The Palais de la musique et des congrès is home to over 300 different events each year (concerts included).

References

External links

*
''Strasbourg Convention Centre''
on ArchDaily {{DEFAULTSORT:Palais de la musique et des congres Buildings and structures in Strasbourg Music venues in France Music venues completed in 1975 Music venues completed in 1989 20th-century architecture 21st-century architecture 20th-century architecture in France

History

See also

References

External links