2020 will mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of the great composer, and in 2027 - the 200th anniversary of his death, so the construction of a new concert hall is already being planned in his hometown. There is already a Beethoven Hall in Bonn, but its 1959 building is not spacious enough and comfortable for modern (and large-scale) musical events.
A total of 11 workshops were invited to participate in the competition, however, Norman Foster rejected this offer, citing the busyness of his office.
But even without him, the list of contestants is impressive: Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki, David Chipperfield, Richard Mayer, Helmut Jan, and others.
Hadid proposes to demolish the old Beethoven Hall and turn all the free space into an esplanade over the Rhine, completing it with a crystalline and at the same time openwork volume of the hall; the architect named her project "Diamond". Arata Isozaki was guided by similar associations: his version, "The Rhine Crystal", presupposes the opposition of the rigid, windowless edges of the outer walls to the dynamic, curvilinear outlines of the auditorium. Richard Mayer proposes to create a new park "Beethoven Plateau" on the existing territory, and to expand the hall itself along the coast. Also, Helmut Jahn, the Luxembourg bureau Hermann & Valentiny (their project "Waves" has the shape of two waves, under each of which hides a concert hall) and the Cologne architect Thomas van den Valentyn, are also planning to demolish the old building. Bonnet Chamber Music Hall and Beethoven Archives.
The preservation of the existing Beethoven Hall is proposed by David Chipperfield (according to his design, the building will be surrounded by an L-shaped new building with open galleries), Eliza & Morrison (their new wing will be decorated with an ornamental curtain wall), Antonio Citterio and Schuster Architekten.
The name of the winner will be announced in March 2009, but in the meantime, all the competition projects can be viewed at an exhibition in the Deutsche Post skyscraper in Bonn.
