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Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road (2)

"The first major British public building designed in the contemporary style of architecture" wrote Pevsner. It was built in 1948-51, ready for the Festival of Britain, and the architects were Robert Matthew, Leslie Martin, Edwin Williams and Peter Moro of the London County Council. Much thought went into acoustics and sound insulation - the auditorium is raised on slender columns (a concept known as 'egg in a box'). Significant alterations were made in 1962-65 (mainly affecting the river front TQ3080 : Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road (1)) under Hubert Bennett of the Greater London Council, and again in 2005-07 (by Allies and Morrison), ironically in part to improve the acoustics. Grade I listed.
The concert hall seats 3,000, and is major base of the London Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras. It forms part of the South Bank arts complex together with the National Theatre (TQ3080 : National Theatre, Upper Ground (2)), National Film Theatre, Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell Room.