Koncerthuset

The Koncerthuset (Danish name: Koncerthuset, previously Copenhagen Concert Hall in English) by Jean Nouvel is a part of the new DR Byen (DR Town), that houses the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, DR. The concert hall and the DR Town are located in the northern part of Ørestad - an ambitious development area in Copenhagen, Denmark. The concert complex consists of four halls with the main auditorium seating 1,800 people. It is the home of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.

The architect

Pritzker Prize winner Jean Nouvel is the architect of the project. The structure can be likened to a meteor covered by big blue screens, supposed to resemble water, that can be used to project visual content on. Nouvel says on the project :

Jean Nouvel

Cost overrun

The budget has been expanded several times due to the immense complexity of the project. As of 2007 it had reached almost 300 million dollars making the Koncerthuset the most expensive concert hall ever built. The former record holder for cost had been the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles at 274 million dollars. The Danish government has refused to grant extra funds for the buildings so, the budget expansion has meant drastic cutbacks in DR staff and funding.