Dunard Centre: Work begins on site of new concert hall in Edinburgh
- Published
The new concert hall is due to open in 2026
Work has begun to clear the site for Edinburgh's first purpose-built music venue in more than 100 years.
The £75m Dunard Centre will be located behind Dundas House off St Andrew Square and host classical, pop, rock, jazz and electronica concerts.
The 1,000-seat venue, set to open by 2026, will be the biggest built in the capital since the Usher Hall in 1914.
It will be home to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and play a key role in the Edinburgh International Festival.
Gavin Reid, head of the SCO, told BBC Scotland the city has "needed a modern, acoustically brilliant, mid-sized concert hall for a long time, and that is what we are getting".
"Great acoustics brings great musicians and great experiences to life," he said. "You experience music in technicolour glory.
"It is not simply classical music though. There will all genres to suit all styles and tastes; it is going to be somewhere for everyone."
Amended plans - with the height of the new building reduced after objections from the neighbouring St James Quarter - were given the green light in November 2021.
The office building being demolished on the site was built to house Royal Bank of Scotland's first computer in the mid-1960s
The Royal Bank of Scotland, which is helping to fund the project, formally handed over the land on the New Town site in late January.
It is expected all clearance work on the 1960s annexe of the RBS headquarters at 36 St Andrew Square, levelling the site, will be completed later this year.
Construction of the new concert hall will start soon afterwards.
SCO cellist Su-a Lee delivered a performance on the site of the new venue, in front of a small group of construction workers, to mark work getting under way.
Scottish Chamber Orchestra cellist Su-a Lee performed a version of 'Ae Fond Kiss', written by Robert Burns, in front of project workers
"Performing in a brilliantly created acoustic is a wonderful experience for a musician," she said.
"When Dunard Centre opens, it will give musicians a very special place to perform music of all genres."
Nagata Acoustics, whose previous projects include concert halls in Los Angeles, Paris and Hamburg, have been working with David Chipperfield Architects on the auditorium design.
The building will be open both day and night and will have a café.
The venue will be behind Dundas House, off St Andrew Square in Edinburgh
The project is being funded through substantial private donations, and Royal Bank of Scotland, which is providing a long-term lease for the land.
The UK and Scottish governments are each providing £10m, with the City of Edinburgh Council contributing £5m.
A campaign has been launched to secure the remaining funds required before construction begins later this year.
Council leader Cammy Day told BBC Scotland he "couldn't see" the council providing any more resources to cover any over-running costs.
But he said he was confident that those already on board would ensure the project is "properly funded and a success".
"It is important to celebrate a new addition to the cultural estate in the capital city which is long overdue," he added.
- Published12 August 2021
- Published17 April 2019
