London has always been one of Europe’s foremost music capitals, so will not willingly fall behind other great cities – European and Asian alike – in the creation of grand auditoriums, theaters, and opera houses. This is the message conveyed by its decision to build – through private donations – a brand new home for the reputed London Symphony Orchestra, following a design entrusted to Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The New York studio carried the day in an international competition against renowned auditorium specialists like Frank Gehry, Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, and Snøhetta, and the result is a complex that besides a performance hall seating 2,000 includes a large, four-level shopping center, a restaurant, and a rooftop space for jazz and pop music gigs that offers splendid views of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The budget is 328 million euros, which is extraordinary yet falls short of those for the recent concert halls of Paris (390 million), Hamburg (450 million), and others.