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Chinese studio Zhixiang Architects has completed a monolithic concrete concert hall in the seaside resort of Aranya in Qinhuangdao.
This three-pronged concrete structure is located in the center of the town’s public square and is designed as an intimate space for musical performances.
The design of its three recessed walls was inspired by the echo wall surrounding the Imperial Vault in Beijing – also known as the Echo Wall because its curved shape can transmit sound over long distances.
“We envisioned the church as a beautiful musical instrument descending on the square,” Vector Architects told Dezeen. “We thought echoes could form unique soundscapes, like the echo walls of China. By harmonizing sound, light and air, Our aim was to create a new type of concert hall.”
The entire building is raised above the ground, with a curved ramp leading to the entrance hall to maintain the openness of the square and provide a place of refuge.
Vector Architects conceived the Music Chapel as a series of vertical layers, placing a nine-metre-high reflective chamber beneath the main amphitheater.
Drilling holes in the floor and installing brass “sound transmission tubes” would allow music played above to permeate into the rooms below.
“There is a sunken stage in the center of the concert hall,” explained the studio. “Viewed from the meditation rotunda, it looks like a suspended disk.”
“As the performance unfolds, sound fills the hall and is transmitted down into the rotunda via nine brass sound tubes embedded in the seats.”
The auditorium can accommodate 48 people, spread over two seating levels, and features a translucent roof that can be raised (up to 4.9 meters when fully opened), turning the building into an open-air theatre.
“The concert hall is topped by a retractable circular aerodynamic roof,” said the studio.
“During favorable weather conditions, the roof will rise, transforming the concert hall into an open-air theatre.”
Outside the amphitheater’s wooden doors, the studio placed a large window to connect viewers with the nearby sea as they exit.
In the reflective room on the lower level, natural light is brought into the space through the open corners and the suspended stage above and shines onto the expressive formwork concrete.
“By leaving a 50cm wide gap in the corner and using operable glass panels, natural light can flow softly through the gap from the upper gap around the suspended stage,” explained the studio.
“Polished concrete seating lines the walls, resembling lounge chairs, allowing people to recline naturally and soak up music, natural light and breezes.”
Straight Architects conceived the overall shape of the concert hall, with its three curved walls reflecting the flow of people from the public square to the sea, aiming to outline a “harmonious coexistence” with the adjacent square buildings.
The Musical Church is part of the architectural trilogy of Vector Architects, an architectural practice founded in 2008 by architect Dong Gong and which has been designing for the Aranya Resort since 2015.
These include a poured concrete library facing the East Sea, an elevated chapel along the beach, and a large restaurant with a green courtyard.
Photography is by Arch-Exist unless otherwise stated.
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