diller scofidio + renfro: alice tully hall, lincoln center for the performing arts, new york

the interior of the hall is lined in african moabi image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

diller scofidio + renfro‘s re-design of alice tully hall is meant to transform the cultural venue from a multi-purpose hall to a premiere chamber music venue. tucked below the juilliard school, the opaque base of pietro belluschi’s original building is stripped away to expose the hall’s outer sell. the sloped underside of juilliard’s expansion will act as a canopy framing the hall. a space which is commonly accused for lacking an intimate environment, the new design focuses on intimacy and interprets it as an acoustic and visual pursuit within the hall. constructed much like a box within a box, the structure will be able to isolate the hall from the 7th avenue subway.

much of the interior is lined in african moabi which is tailored to accommodate all features of the existing hall and the new elements which are being installed. the liner will also aid in eliminating all visual noise that distracts the audience from the performance. from behind the layer of african moabi, a luminosity is emitted much like that of a bioluminescent marine organism which has an internal glow. a portion of the wood liner is built of translucent custom-molded resin panels surfaced in veneer to match and blend seamlessly with the wood. the overall effect of the wood, binds the house and stage with light. similar to the raising of a chandelier or parting of a curtain to signal the beginning of a performance, the ‘blushing’ walls of light will be an indication that the first performer is about to go on. this project was a collaboration with fxfowle architects.

image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

the sloping architecture of the hall’s interior image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

the wood liner seamlessly unites the floors and walls of the hall image courtesy diller scofidio + renfro

the airy entrance of the hall provides much sunlight image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

a view of how the hall has been situated below the juilliard school image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

image courtesy diller scofidio + renfro