Chinese studio Vector Architects has completed a monolithic, concrete concert hall in the coastal resort of Aranya in Qinhuangdao.
Located centrally within the town's public square, the three-pronged concrete structure was designed as an intimate space for musical performances.
Vector Architects has designed a concrete music hall in Aranya
Its three concave walls were informed by the Echo Wall that encircles the Imperial Vault of Heaven in Beijing ? also known as the Whispering Wall because its curving shape transmits sound over long distances.
"We envision this chapel as an exquisite musical instrument landing onto the plaza," Vector Architects told Dezeen. "We think that echoes can form a unique sound landscape, like the Chinese Echo Wall. By orchestrating sound, light and air, we aim to create a new type of music hall." The concave structure was informed by Beijing's reverberating Echo Wall
The entire building is raised above the ground, with a curved ramp leading up to the entrance lobby to maintain the open character of the plaza and provide places for shelter.
Vector Architects conceived the Chapel of Music as a series of vertical layers, with a nine-metre-high reflection room placed below the main amphitheatre.
Holes drilled into the floor slab and fitted with brass "sound transmission tubes" allow music played above to filter into the room underneath.
The chapel can be entered via a curving, elevated ramp. Photo by Chen Hao
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