page_title: Crystal Palace Bowl
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Crystal Palace Bowl / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: English: August 1997, Crystal Palace Concert (Photo by Dennis Gilbert ©)
context_page_description: Crystal Palace Bowl is an iconic South London venue, with 60 years of live music heritage and a legacy as an outdoor performance venue stretching back over a century. It has a unique sculptural permanent stage designed by Ian Ritchie Architects, which won multiple awards and was nominated for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize in 1998.
  It is positioned in a natural amphitheatre capable of holding up to 15,000 people, with the stage facing an ornamental lake - part of the original Joseph Paxton vision for the landscaped grounds of the Crystal Palace, this area being known as the 'English Garden Landscape'.
  It is located within the historic and Grade II* listed Crystal Palace Park in the London Borough of Bromley
  From 1961 it hosted regular classical music performances by the likes of the London Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1971 to the early 1990s the Bowl saw some of the most popular musical acts in the world across rock, pop, punk, blues, jazz, roots and reggae play the ‘Garden Party’ festivals and later Greater London Council organised events.
context_section_description: In 1996 an architectural competition was by held by London Borough of Bromley and Arts Council England, to design a new permanent stage in the park. Ian Ritchie Architects won with a proposal for a  “simple structure causing minimal disturbance”  to the rich and complex Paxton landscape.
  The sculptural form was inspired by artists like Richard Serra and architects like John Winter in its use of a single material and a continuous surface, namely the self-weathering pre-rusted Corten Steel; it was of the first public buildings in the UK to use the material for external cladding. The outward appearance of the deep red oxidised steel drew inspiration from the earthy colours of the soil and reflections of the sky in the ornamental lake in front of the stage area, aiming to produce a greater harmony between structure and the beauty of surrounding landscape.
  A generously proportioned 25 metre wide by 15 metre deep stage could accommodate a full 120 piece orchestra, while the acoustic canopy projects over the stage and soars to 11.34 metres high, cantilevered at an angle of 40 degrees. The structure also boasted the world's first computer controlled outdoor active acoustic system, designed by Paul Gilleron. This enabled the stage acoustics to be tuned as required by the performers; the canopy contains a total of 46 speakers, with two freestanding columns either side of the stage designed to house speakers and the amplification system.
  The new stage opened in August 1997 with a performance by Evelyn Glennie, in 1998 it was nominated for the RIBA Stirling Prize, while also winning the Royal Fine Arts Commission Building of the Year Award, a Civic Trust Award and the 'Excellence in Design' award from the American Institute of Architects.
caption: August 1997, Crystal Palace Concert (Photo by Dennis Gilbert ©)
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