Toronto’s Diamond Schmitt Architects has been selected as the lead designer of the David Geffen Hall. 

The hall, which is located in New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex in Manhattan, is home to the New York Philharmonic. It has hosted a number of performances by such world-renowned artists as Bob Dylan and Miles Davis, and is widely known as a key element of one of North America’s foremost performing arts complexes.

The scope of work on the David Geffen Hall project is defined broadly as, “transforming the concert hall and all public spaces, enhancing the concert-going experience, fostering a sense of community, and creating bold and innovative ways to connect with the world outside.” The budget for the project is $550 million, of which $360 has already been raised.

Diamond Schmitt, which will be led by Gary McCluskie, will design the concert hall. The group will work alongside Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects │ Partners, which will design all of the public spaces, acoustician Paul Scarbrough of Akustiks and theater designer Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates.

The team is tasked with designing a more intimate performance venue with state-of-the-art acoustics and artistic flexibility to present orchestra concerts, solo performances, multimedia presentations, and movie screenings. With the rebuilt concert hall at the building’s heart, all public spaces will be reconceived to provide better opportunities for people to gather and connect.

The new concert hall introduces a “single-room” concept, eliminating the proscenium and moving the stage forward by 25 feet, with audience seating wrapped around it, bringing all seats closer to the performers and providing acoustical and visual intimacy. The new hall will be a highly flexible space with variable stage configurations designed to support a wide range of performance initiatives. Natural wood and curvilinear forms create an immersive experience that transforms the room into a contemporary, sculpted design. Seating capacity will be reduced by 500 seats to 2,200, and a steeper incline will be added to the orchestra level, significantly improving acoustics and sightlines.

“The new concert hall will be intimate, immersive, and adaptable to host a range of performances of classical compositions and innovative programming,” says Gary McCluskie, Diamond Schmitt Architects. “The auditorium is recalibrated to deliver improved sightlines, audience comfort, and superb acoustics from every seat in the house.”

The hall’s main lobby will double in size and open up on three sides to connect with the campus; a new Welcome Center on Broadway will offer a portal to Lincoln Center for the public; Union Square Hospitality Group is serving as consultants for food and beverage planning in the new David Geffen Hall, which will include a destination eatery for informal and casual dining, to be opened throughout the day and after concerts. At the core of the new lobby will be a media streaming wall, which can show concerts and events in real time as well as other digital formats. The reconfigured and reenergized Grand Promenade will create one of the largest spaces for entertaining at a performance facility in New York City, welcoming over 1,000 people for an event. During performances, there will be expanded intermission seating and bar/food service, including enhanced access to the terrace and new promontories overlooking the main level.

A dynamic new addition is The Sidewalk Studio, visible from the street on the corner of 65th Street and Broadway, which will be a home for educational, artistic and community activities. A Lightwall will wrap around three sides of the interior top of the building, creating space for dynamic mood and architectural lighting. Eleven thousand square feet of office space will be located behind the Lightwall. The entire North Façade of the building will be reimagined as a “canvas” on which to commission site-specific works, honoring Lincoln Center’s long tradition in the visual arts.

“This project is all about greater connections,” said Henry Timms, President and CEO of Lincoln Center. “The new concert hall will unite performers and audiences; the dynamic public spaces will allow our communities—from visiting schools to concert-goers wanting to stay for a drink —to connect with each other. And the whole project re-sets how we engage with the outside world.”

The new hall will open in March 2024.