In November 2016, the brand-new Queen Elisabeth Hall opened its doors. The architectural firm Ian Simpson from Manchester designed the complex and unique concept in collaboration with Kirkegaard Associates from Chicago and Bureau Bouwtechniek. Ian Simpson’s team created an inspiring, flexible, robust and energy-friendly building with an exceptional combination of historic and new elements. The building is bright and elegant, a symbol in the city and a source of inspiration for everyone. The former hall barely got 6 out of 10 in terms of acoustics; the new version does a lot better, with a score of 9.3. This brings the Queen Elisabeth Hall to the same level as similar concert halls in Amsterdam, Vienna and Boston.

The Queen Elisabeth Hall is a unique piece of heritage with a rich past. The origin of this hall, and indeed of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra residency orchestra, lies with the Royal Antwerp Zoological Society (KMDA). The KMDA is an association focused on zoology and nature conservation. In 1895 the management of the KMDA came up with the idea of organizing zoo concerts in the Antwerp ZOO. This heralded the beginning of the current Queen Elisabeth Hall. A banquet hall has been located on the site of the Elisabeth Hall since 1897, but it was not until 1960 that Queen Elisabeth opened the actual concert hall.

In conjunction with JLSigns design concept, the signage is wholly executed in Modulex Infinity basic. In the standard format and custom-made, all panels were painted in a special brass/copper colour, just like various other elements in the beautiful architecture. We are delighted with this stunning realization.