Architect

RATIO Arkitekter AS

Acousticians

Kahle Acoustics, Akukon, Sinus

Our new concert hall in figures

• area 13 800 m2
• volume 119 000 m3
• length 91 metres
• height 31.8 metres above normal sea level
• two auditoriums: an orchestra hall and a multi-purpose hall with a shared foyer
• 180 rooms

How the concert hall is financed

• City of Stavanger NOK 600 million
• Rogaland County Council NOK 75 million
• The Norwegian State NOK 250 million
• VAT refunds NOK 180 million
• Private contributions NOK 120 million

A Norwegian fundraising record?

Nearly ten percent of the funding for the concert hall comes from sponsors and other private contributors. The building has 21 sponsors at various levels, with ten companies/ private individuals having donated funds. Companies and private individuals have purchased 360 chairs, and 70 people have given smaller donations. So far, we have raised NOK 119.5 million.

Two auditoriums – rock and symphony simultaneously

The concert hall consists of two building structures, each with its own sound-proofing and loadbearing systems. There is one hall in each structure, with soundproofing against adjacent constructions and around both halls. Stringent requirements must be observed for noise from air conditioning, lighting and other technical installations in the halls, and particularly strict requirements for background noise in the orchestra hall. There are sound locks at all entrances, preventing noise from entering the halls. The building is also insulated against external sources of noise.

Fartein Valen - the orchestra hall

This hall is specially designed for acoustic music and will become Stavanger Symphony Orchestra’s new home.  There will be 1 500 seats in the stalls (orchestra section) and the three galleries. The ceiling can be lowered six metres, altering the volume of the hall and thus its acoustics. The ceiling weighs a whopping 175 tonnes and is raised and lowered by 16 motors. Thirteen adjustable acoustic reflectors are suspended from the ceiling. When the hall is used for conferences or slightly amplified music, the acoustics need to be turned down. This is done by using sound-absorbing mats. The hall will have 12 entrances at five different levels, all equipped with sound locks.

Zetlitz - the multi-purpose hall

In terms of acoustics, this hall is primarily designed for amplified music. It can be used for a great many purposes from rock to opera. The multi-purpose hall will have three balconies along the sides and two galleries at the back. It may be rigged as an amphitheatre, an arena, a catwalk or have a flat floor suitable for a banquet or for a standing audience. The acoustics are adjusted by means of acoustic mats and reflectors. The seat capacity will vary with the event, just over 800 for a musical, 700 for an opera, 1 900 for a rock concert with a flat floor and 1 400 seats for a conference.

The hall will have the stage-technical equipment of a modern theatre hall and will for instance have 46 motor-driven stage pulleys.

The chairs in Fartein Valen

The chairs are manufactured by the Italian company Poltrona Frau and are covered in purple mohair velvet with a pattern specially designed by Ratio Arkitekter. The chairs need to meet certain requirements for reflection and reduction of sound, and the prototype has been tested and approved by an acoustician. The seats stand 90 cm apart in the stalls and 95 cm in the galleries. Three rows in the stall have a seat distance of 125 cm or more.

Local and international suppliers to the concert hall  

The construction of the concert hall takes place with shared contracts managed by the project owner. There are 39 contracts relating to the building itself. Some companies have several contracts, with a total of 31 different companies being involved. Of these, 21 are based locally. In addition to the building contracts, there are 18 contracts relating to fixtures, fitting and equipment, but these contracts have not all been awarded yet.

Concrete, steel and glass

The Bjergsted development has required 27 000 m3 of concrete, or 4 500 truckloads, and

3 650 tonnes of steel. The glass facade in the foyer measures 1 463 m2 and consists of two layers of double glazing, four layers of glass in all. There is also 920 m2 of projection glass.

The building’s northern facade displays a pattern of granite concrete and glass concrete. It measures 4 000 m2 and consists of 375 elements of varying size – sanded, polished and waterproofed. They vary in weight from 430 kg to 20 tonnes, and 30 tonnes of red glass and 30 tonnes of clear glass were used to create them. The elements were produced and mounted by AS Betong.

Green environment measures

The concert hall roof will be green in more senses than one. A total of 3 600 m2 of sedum mats will be placed on top of the roofing paper. These mats are manufactured by the Grasrota company at Stangeland and are supplied by Sandnes Tak. Sedum is a low-growing cactus plant that can withstand long periods of draught, at which time its colour changes to a reddish brown. Such a roof will reduce and distribute the run-off during heavy rain, and it also has a sound-insulating effect.

Organ

The concert organ is built by Ryde & Berg Orgelbyggeri AS in Fredrikstad. This organ is the company’s biggest assignment so far, and it is also the largest organ built in Norway in recent times. The organ has 65 stops and around 4 660 pipes. It is made up of about 65 000 parts. The organ is now in place, and the intonation will take place during the summer of 2012.

Tableware

On assignment from Nytt konserthus IKS and in close cooperation with our restaurant Maesto F&B, our architect and arts committee, Figgjo AS has developed a special china service for the new concert hall. It consists of 14 new products plus 19 products from Figgjo’s existing assortment.

Completion and opening

Training and testing commenced in May and will continue until the opening. The official opening took  place on Saturday, 15 September. The opening programme, Husvarming, (Housewarming) ran from 14 to 23 September 2012.

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English version of our website will be available approx december 2012. We apologize for any inconvenience a norwegian only website might give. If you would like more information about the hall and our program, don't hesitate to email us at post@stavanger-konserthus.no, or call the administration at + 47 51 53 70 40 or box office at + 47 51 53 70 00.