Santiago Calatrava, Bing Thom, Mack Scogin, Jean Nouvel, Schmidt, Hammer & Lassen, Steven Holl, and Moshe Safdie: these are the names of the seven semi-finalists selected by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra a few days ago.

The winning project for designing the new Symphony Centre will come from their proposals and will be announced at the end of May. It will be the new “home” of the most important orchestra in the South-Eastern United States and will house rehearsal rooms, teaching areas and administrative offices, as well as the new concert hall. This area – 25 thousand square metres owned by Woodruff Arts Center, corporate parent of the orchestra – will also include two 30-storey towers, which are to be completed by 2007. The mixed-use towers will include residences, hotel and restaurants, and will be surrounded by a large park. In mid-January, the American Cesar Pelli was named master-planner of the Centre.

Over 200 proposals were entered into the competition, which began in the autumn of 2001. This was reduced to 59 immediately after the first selection. Awaiting news of the names of the finalists, each of the seven candidates will present their projects to the public in seven conferences to be held in Atlanta from 11 to 20 March.

https://www.atlantasymphony.org