Philharmonie concert hall, Haarlem

Haarlem’s concert hall, originally a Verenigingsgebouw (Association Building) from 1893, has undergone thorough restoration and was extended with a newly built annex. The harmony of old and new was achieved by restoring the existing structure to its original state in a highly authentic manner and by rendering the new construction unmistakably contemporary. The complex is composed of two parts: an L-shaped block of refurbished monumental buildings and a new L-shaped wing adjoining it. The foyer runs between them, the transition between old and new. The Main Hall in the old part of the building was restored in original style and extended. Chandeliers, pilasters, cornices, a moulded ceiling and other neo-Classical ornamentation predominate. The Small Hall in the newly built section is quite different in character: here the look is dominated by robustly curved forms, realized in reddish brown moulded timber. Old and new optimally reinforce each other in their contrast.