Uppsala Concert and Congress Hall
Uppsalas new concert and congress hall elegantly interplays with the historical surroundings of Uppsala. The building constitutes an important cultural landmark in the city, offering a new modern chapter to the story of Uppsala. The 37 metre-high concert and conference hall houses exhibition areas and three concert halls.
With its reflecting metallic façades the building appears as a large, split crystal. The vertical cleft in the building provides the public with access from two sides - from the old historical town and from the modern and vibrant Vaksala Square. The horizontal cleft at the top of the building offers a magnificent panoramic view of Uppsala, which is dominated by the castle, cathedral and university library.
On the arrival floor (level 2) there is an exhibition and banquet hall with room for 600 guests. Here there is also a large, open café with a south oriented terrace. The long red escalators connect the buildings different foyer areas and lead visitors from the arrival hall up to level 3, where they are met by a magnificent view of Vaksala Square. Level 3 contains a large conference and music hall that seats up to 350 guests and a smaller meet-ing hall with room for 100. From level 3, the escalators continue in a spectacular continuous length of more than three floors up to the grand halls foyer on level 6 offering a unique panoramic view of Uppsalas roof-tops and historical skyline.
The grand halls spectator seating rises from stage level on level 5 all the way up to the rear balcony on level 8. Levels 3, 4 and 5 house a number of functions: offices, rehearsal rooms, backstage area, stage entrances, box seats and storage. Level 7 also houses a separate conference room.
In the horizontal slit of light which is the large foyer of the hall, the residents of Uppsala and their guests may walk around in the hall on a higher level than the surrounding roofs of the city a visual prelude and accompaniment to the following musical experience.
The grand hall is the largest and most important room in the building seating up to 1150 guests from stalls to balcony. With its sublime acoustics and technical flexibility, the hall is designed for a large and versatile repertoire spanning from large symphony orchestra concerts to modern hip hop and jazz.
For a long time, the musical life of Uppsala has lacked a unifying cultural scene, where the many orchestras, choirs and music groups of the city can meet. Today, Uppsala concert and congress hall offers endless opportunities as to the musical and cultural exploitation, and will be a strong cultural gathering point for the citizens of Uppsala as well as visitors from other countries.