Ennead Architects has released plans for a new 40,000 square meter (430,550 square foot) Music Center in the Chinese city of Xiamen. The design, produced for a six-week design competition held by Xiamen City Municipal Planning, draws inspiration from the island city?s dramatic topography and history to create a new public institution along the harbor. To provide the beachfront with a new public gathering place, the project?s feature element will be a grand stair likened by Ennead to Rome?s timeless Spanish Steps.

© San Labs for Ennead Architects

Ennead Architects has released plans for a new 40,000 square meter (430,550 square foot) Music Center in the Chinese city of Xiamen. The design, produced for a six-week design competition held by Xiamen City Municipal Planning, draws inspiration from the island city?s dramatic topography and history to create a new public institution along the harbor. To provide the beachfront with a new public gathering place, the project?s feature element will be a grand stair likened by Ennead to Rome?s timeless Spanish Steps.
© San Labs for Ennead Architects

The project takes a reverent approach to the natural terrain, borrowing from the landscape?s natural striation to create the sloping plaza that connects the city to the shoreline. Large sweeping gestures draw from the site?s program and context, evoking a powerful wave, a musical c...