Alfredo De Vido | Architects

Mann Music Center - Philadelphia, PA
The site chosen for this summer home of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra was within Fairmont Park. The shell had to provide covered seating for 5,000, and twice as many again had to be able to see and hear from the adjacent lawns. With good acoustics in mind, the architects and their acoustical consultant designed a mammoth shell of open-web steel joists with a wood plank ceiling. The geometry of the building and the orchestra shell is designed for natural sound transmission within the structure. The sides of the building are open, offering concert-goers of views of the park. A series of wide, light, flying ramps and outdoor stairs provide access. The entire shell is finished on the outside with a crisp coat of terne-clad steel.