Open Architecture unveils rock-like live performance hall in a valley exterior Beijing

Chinese studio Open Architecture has done The Chapel of Seem, a monolithic open up-air live performance hall in a valley future to the ruins of the Terrific Wall of China outside the house Beijing.


The job by Beijing-based observe Open up Architecture is situated in a mountainous countryside location, two several hours drive from the centre of the Chinese capital.

Chapel of Seem is an open-air concert corridor that was created by Open up Architecture

The developing comprises a semi-outdoor amphitheatre, outdoor stage, viewing platforms and a rehearsal area.

Developed totally from concrete that has been enriched with an aggregate built from nearby stone, the concert hall has been made to resemble a piece of the natural landscape.

Chapel of Sound has a rock-like look
It was intended to blend in with the encompassing landscape

“We had been extremely aware of the obligation we had to lead a thoughtful composition that matches the natural way into such a one of a kind landscape,” mentioned Open Architecture’s founders Li Hu and Huang Wenjing.

“The symphony of mother nature is what we really needed folks to practical experience in this article.”

The Chapel of Sound is larger at the top than the bottom
The composition was created utilizing concrete that was strengthened with a community stone mixture

The rock-like construction is composed of a sequence of concrete layers, every single of which cantilevers out from the previous layer to develop an inverted cone form.

What appears to be a sound composition is truly an internal and outer shell with the space amongst operating like a truss.

Staircases wind through the creating to a rooftop system that presents views of the valley and the nearby Ming Dynasty-era Good Wall.

In Chapel of Sound’s interior spaces, bronze handrails and doorways distinction towards the concrete and incorporate warmth.

Interior view of the Chapel of Sound concert hall
The concert hall is an open-air house

The making does not function any heating or air-conditioning. A void in the centre of the rooftop will allow daylight into the construction and obviously illuminates the effectiveness areas.

When it rains, the water also falls via the void, and a drainage technique has been place in position to ensure that it quickly drains absent.

It has views across the mountain landscape
The space can be utilised for concert events or employed for activities

The openings in the Chapel of Audio not only connect the inside with the outside the house ecosystem but also assist to be certain superior acoustics in the house, without the will need to introduce extra seem-absorbing resources, Open Architecture claimed.

The architects intend the live performance corridor to be a house of quiet contemplation as properly as a location for significant-scale live shows.

View of the Chapel of Sounds rooftop
The location is surrounded by mountains

“Solitary or communal, songs or sound of mother nature, gazing into the starry sky or connecting with one’s inner self – it is open up to the interpretation of the buyers,” claimed Huang.

Other cultural initiatives from Open involve The UCCA Dune Artwork Museum, a cave-like art gallery inside of a sand dune, and a library and theatre that resembles a blue whale in Shanghai.

The images is courtesy of Jonathan Leijonhufvud.


Project credits:

Architectural and inside design: Open up Architecture
Principals in cost: Li Hu, Huang Wenjing
Task staff: Zhou Tingting, Fang Kuanyin, Huang Zetian, Lin Bihong, Chen Xiuyuan, Cai
Zhuoqun, Kuo Chunchen, Tang Ziqiao
Structural and MEP engineers: Arup
Lighting Expert: Beijing Ning Zhi Jing Lighting Style and design Co., Ltd.
Theater and acoustic expert: JH Theatre Architecture Design Consulting Corporation
Landscape structure: Guangzhou Turen Landscape Scheduling Co., Ltd.
Signage layout: Open up Architecture