Design revealed for $373-million music center in London

The $373-million building will be a joint project of the Barbican, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Guildhall School of Music& Drama. It will include a 2,000-seat concert hall, bars, restaurants, and public viewing areas that look down on the stage and the city.
The Barbican is home to many top musicians and performers and has hosted performers such as pianist Wang Yuja, the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, pianist Belle Chen, and Tangram, a band that weaves Chinese and Western classical music.
Designed by US architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the new music hub will be located at the southern tip of the Barbican site, with the main concert hall raised up off the ground and a public realm beneath.
The building will sit on a site that is currently home to the Museum of London, which is relocating to nearby Smithfield market.
At the top of the structure will be a smaller concert hall for intimate contemporary performances and events, with views of St Paul's Cathedral and the London skyline.
As well as a state-of-the-art concert hall, there will also be education, rehearsal, and commercial spaces.
"We imagine a concert hall for the 21st century that embraces both a bespoke and a loose-fit approach: tailored for exceptional symphonic sound, yet agile enough to accommodate creative work across disciplines and genres," said Elizabeth Diller, founding partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
The project has the backing of the City of London Corporation, which has injected $3.2 million into the initiative.
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