Edinburgh to get its first new concert hall in over a century

Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £162 million contract by IMPACT Scotland to deliver the Dunard Centre, Edinburgh’s first purpose-built concert hall in more than 100 years.

Set in the heart of the Scottish capital, the venue will feature a 1,000-seat auditorium, a café, bar and multi-functional spaces, alongside a double basement, which will house performer changing rooms, storage areas as well as back-of-house facilities.

As part of the works, Balfour Beatty will construct a five-storey steel frame with an envelope façade of precast concrete panels. The high-quality internal finishes will include bespoke solid oak panelling to enhance the acoustic experience.

Once open, the Dunard Centre will provide a permanent home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and become a new venue for the Edinburgh International Festival, increasing access to the arts and attracting an estimated 200,000 visitors annually.

Nick Rowan, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Regional Business in Scotland, said: “We are proud to be entrusted with delivering what will become a nationally significant cultural venue in the heart of Edinburgh and have worked meticulously to plan every stage of this complex build, from construction logistics in a tightly constrained site, to the precision needed to achieve world-class acoustic performance.

“Our focus now is on safe, efficient and high-quality delivery, working closely with our local supply chain while creating meaningful jobs, apprenticeships and skills opportunities throughout the programme.”

The project is expected to complete in 2029.