Structure
Construction of the hall was a joint venture between Manchester City Council and the Central Manchester Development Corporation who obtained funding from the European Regional Development Fund The architects were RHWL and the builders were John Laing Construction later Laing O'Rourke. The acoustics were designed by Rob Harris of Arup Acoustics; his colleagues at Arup were the building engineers. The Bridgewater Hall can seat 2341 people over four tiers in the auditorium: the stalls, choir circle, circle, and gallery.
The main auditorium sits on a foundation of earthquake-proof isolation bearings that insulate it from noise and vibration from the adjacent road and Metrolink line. The hall's 26,500 tonne superstructure rests on 280 GERB isolation bearings consisting of rows of steel springs between concrete piers. Bridgewater Hall is the first concert hall built with this technology.
The structure is mostly formed from solid, reinforced concrete, moulded and cast like a vast sculpture. The auditorium has a double-skinned roof with a stainless steel outer shell. The lower part of the hall is built of deep red sandstone from Corsehill Quarry in Annan, the upper walls are clad in aluminium and glass. The interior uses Jura limestone.
- Organ
Inside the hall, the focal point is a £1.2 million pipe organ (with 5500 pipes) built by Marcussen & Son, which dominates the auditorium, covering the rear wall with wood and burnished metal. At the time of construction, the organ was the largest instrument to be installed in the UK for a century.
- Barbirolli Square
On the plaza outside is the "Ishinki Touchstone", a sculpture by Kan Yasuda made of polished Italian Carrara marble which is white streaked with bluish-grey. The stone weighs 18 tonnes and was installed in August 1996. Its £200,000 cost was financed by the Arts Council, Lottery Fund, Manchester Airport and Manchester City Council. To prevent vandalism, the stone is coated with an anti-graffiti solution.
Beside the main entrance is a sculpture of Sir John Barbirolli by Byron Howard (2000).
Read more about this topic: Bridgewater Hall
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—Paul Tillich (1886–1965)
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