The architect, Manchester-based Ian Simpson, will have to work within the existing structure, which belongs to the neighbouring Antwerp Zoo. The winner of an international competition for the project, Simpson admits that the task is challenging: “The public is received in an uninspired, anonymous and even disorienting manner. There has to be a better way,” he said, adding that “the shape of the hall is completely wrong.”

In addition, the hall’s technical installations are sorely in need of modernisation, and the acoustic is no longer suitable for the venue’s resident orchestra, De Filharmonie. Simpson will call on the assistance of Kirkegaard Associates, acoustical experts based in Chicago and Boulder in the United States. Simpson’s other plans involve the construction of a promenade to link the hall to the Astridplein in front of the theatre. Reception rooms and conference spaces will be made more open-plan, with a new circulation space for audiences and conference delegates on the zoo side of the building.

The hall itself promises “noble architecture with top acoustics,” according to Filharmonie conductor Philippe Herreweghe. The new hall will have a balcony, and the orchestra will be given office and rehearsal space.

Work will begin in 2011 and should be completed by the end of 2012. While the reconstruction is under way, De Filharmonie will tour overseas and make more use of deSingel, while its existing office space in the Eilandje district will be sold off.