Sound purists: Listen up. Beijing-based firm Open Architecture is building a concert hall in a valley just outside of Beijing and it’s made completely of stone.
According to Dezeen, the hope is the Chapel of Sound will eventually look as if it wasn’t placed there by human hands at all, but more so has been a consequence of nature from long ago. The hollow seating and performance area has been built with pure sound quality in mind, as have the building materials.
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The entire structure is made from a mix of concrete, crushed rocks, and minerals, seamlessly blending into the surrounding environment. There are intentional portals to the outdoors included in the design, allowing noise from outdoors to mingle with music being performed. Dezeen shared that the firm used digital modeling software to craft the interior shape of the concert hall, mimicking “cavities found in shells, wooden instruments, and even the human ear.”
But you won’t need a concert ticket to enjoy the atmosphere. “When there is no scheduled concert, no choir or instruments playing, the hall still remains a destination, one at which to quietly listen to the sound of birds singing, insects chirping, gentle breezes rustling through nearby trees, or raindrops on the floor," the firm shared in an interview with Dezeen. Add that to the fact that you can also find remnants of the Ming Great Wall nearby and you’ve got yourself a day-trip itinerary.
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The concert hall is set to be completed by the end of 2019.
