Presentation by Olivia Ellsworth

1. Royal Concertgebouw | Amsterdam

2. Concertgebouw = “concert building’

4. HISTORY
Construction started in 1883
Finished in 1888
Architect Adolf Leonard (Dolf) van Gendt
1

6. 1
2
1 Entrance
2 Great Hall
3 Great Hall Conductor Spot
4 Wardrobe
5 North Foyer
6 South Foyer and Cafe
7 Spiegalzaal Hall Foyer
8 Speigalzaal Hall
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 Balcony Foyer
10 Balcony seats
11 North Balcony Foyer
12 South Balcony Foyer
13 Podium seats
9
10
1112
13
Architectural Facts
• Seats 1,974 in the main
hall
• 144’ long, 92’ wide and 56’
high
• The small recital hall
is 66’ long, 15’ wide and
seats 437
Maarschalkerweerd-organ
• Was not present in 1888
• In 1890 an auction was
held to purchase the
organ
• Organbuilderwas:Michael
Maarschalkerweerd
• In 1990 the organ was
restored (took 2 years)
1
1

7. Main entrance
Great Hall
Recital Hall

8. Renovation
In 1972 Concertgebouw was declared protected monument
1983 the building was sinking due to rotting foundations
From 1985-1988 the Hall got a new side wing. This created a new
entrance designed by architect Pi de Bruijn. 1

9. “This wing, with its covered promenade, is fully in
keeping with the original building. The design is sim-
ple, with a lot of glass, so the beauty of the old build-
ing continues to shine through. Even the colour, light
grey, fits in well with The Concertgebouw.”
- Pi de Brujin
1

10. 1

11. Circulation
4

12. Circulation
1

13. ACOUSTICS
1. Listener envelopment: Sense of being surrounded by sound (time period >80 milliseconds)
2. Reverberant character
3. Diffusion
4. Sound strength
5. Clarity
6. Warmth 3

14. Acoustics
Flat / gently sloping floors
Elevated orchestra platform
(59 inches)
Balcony is positioned in the same horizontal plane as
the orchestra. This allows the audience to get the first
sound reflections from the orchestra.
surrounded by sound3

15. Acoustics
Time it takes for the sound to die out.
In large halls that are at full capacity, it takes 1.8-2.2
seconds for the sound to fully die out.
Shorter times are preferred for Classical music, while
longer times are for romantic music.
Mid-frequency reverberation time: 2.0 seconds
Successful halls limit the seats to no more than
2,400. Sound strength is greater in smaller halls,
since the audience absorbs most of the sound.
Seats: 2,037
romantic music
classical music
3

16. Acoustics
Multiple surfaces to break up
(diffuse) the sound
3

17. Today
900 events (80% concerts)
700,000 visitors a year
Privately financed
- 30% from ticket sales
- 22% from rentals
- 20% from hospitality
- 20% from sponsoring and fundraising
- 8% other (5% municipal grant included)
Education program reaches
over 30,000 children a year.
“Acoustics excellent, tickets quite easy to get hold
of, brilliant new bar and entrance areas - a very
pleasant evening in Amsterdam.”
“I’ve been here before, but was lucky enough to go again this trip and caught a concert of Wagner’s Lohengrin....what a beautiful
concert. The venue is very lovely, built in the late 1800’s with enough design elements to make it graceful and visually appealing,
but not too much for it to feel too “grand” or imposing. It’s quite comfortable and has a sense of intimacy about it despite the main
hall having the capacity for some 2000+ people. The seats are very comfortable and the temperature was perfect - not cold or so
warm you’d want to fall asleep. The best thing about this place are the acoustics which are wonderful. The sounds are heavenly. The
performance was top tier.”
1
2

19. The Concertgebouw is one of most successful concert halls in the world. It’s
location along a public park in Amsterdam attracts people into the Hall. The
renovations have kept the Hall up to date on acoustical qualities, while staying
true to its classical form.
Concertgebouw’s rectangular shape, stage, ceiling height, seats, balcony and
decorative elements strengthen the musical quality of the hall. The layout and
circulation patterns are simple and easy to follow. Each wing has its own foyer
with either a cafe or bar. The design also provides a smaller scale hall to attract
more classical, intimate performances.
The design and architectural elements made for an acoustical experience that
attracts visitors and musicians worldwide. The Concertgebouw will always be an
architectural icon and precedent study in concert hall designs.
Conclusion

20. Sources
1. “Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, The Netherlands): Hours, Address, Tickets & Tours, Theater Reviews - TripAdvisor.”
<i>Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, The Netherlands): Hours, Address, Tickets &amp; Tours, Theater Reviews - TripAdvisor</i>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
&lt;http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g188590-d189383-Reviews-Concertgebouw-Amsterdam_North_Holland_
Province.html&gt;.
2. “Home.” <i>Het Concertgebouw</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
&lt;http://www.concertgebouw.nl/en/&gt;.
3. Long, Marshall. “What Is so Special about Shoebox Halls? Envelopment, Envelopment, Envelopment.” Acou. Today Acoustics
Today 5.2 (2009): 21. Shoebox. Marshall Long Acoustics. Web. 10 Feb. 2106.
<http://mlacoustics.com/PDF/Shoebox.pdf>.
4. “OV-kunstkaart - Het Concertgebouw, Plattegrond.” <i>OV-kunstkaart - Het Concertgebouw, Plattegrond</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 12
Feb. 2016.
&lt;http://www.ov-kunstkaart.nl/146/nl/het-concertgebouw-plattegrond&gt;.