: Chinese studio Open Architecture has completed The Chapel of Sound, a monolithic open-air concert hall in a valley next to the ruins of the Great Wall of China outside Beijing.
: Chinese studio Open Architecture has completed The Chapel of Sound, a monolithic open-air concert hall in a valley next to the ruins of the Great Wall of China outside Beijing.
10 comments:
This new amphitheatre is visually stunning. The very monochrome look of it is very visually appealing and the design is very fluid and sleek. That being said, I do have a couple questions about the design and how the space will be used. Being lighting person, I can’t help but wonder how they will light the place. During the day, the natural light let in by the large hole in the roof and walls will let in copious amounts of nice daylight, but at night, and just when lighting fixtures are to be placed in general, where will they go? There do not appear to be any lighting positions. There does not appear to be any sort of pick points where motors can be hung to fly any truss. Of course truss arches can be constructed in the space, but I feel like the verticals would be really distracting and interrupt the flow of the space. That being said, I still really appreciate the overall look and design of the space. I am not exactly sure how it is meant to “blend in” with the landscape, though… other than being the same color as the surrounding rocks, the step-like nature of the various layers look very artificial to me.
I think this building is so stunning. It was great to see the photo of the solo cello player in there to get a sense of what it would be like when there is a performance going on. I would love to see what it looks like when it is used for large scale concerts with a lot of people. I think they did a great job because the solo cello player looks so at peace in there, and I can only imagine that the large concert will work very well. I know they said the intended use was large concerts or quiet contemplation but I can picture so many pieces of theatre or dance even in this beautiful space, so I wonder if there will ever be performances of kinds besides concerts in this space. I would think all art creators aware of this space will be jumping at this opportunity and would be wanting to put their show in this space.
One component of this concert hall that I really admire is how remote it is. The author mentions that it is two hours outside of the capital which I believe adds to the simplistic experience that was designed for the audience, allowing them to be fully immersed in their natural surroundings and music. As a musician, I immediately saw this article and wanted to know what the acoustics were like in this space made of stone. As someone who appreciates the outdoors, I respect how there is no technology used in the space (the lighting coming naturally from the sun as well as the temperature). I find it interesting how the space itself is a natural shell that can hose all kinds of performances but is also stands as its own piece of art. I am not familiar with too many outdoor theatre performances, but this article reminds me that art intertwined in nature can be immersive and humbling at the same time.
Okay, I think that this is really cool that they decided to build this and really put a lot of thought behind it. Not only did they consider that it should blend in with the natural architecture, they also thought about the practicality of it and made sure that it included rehearsal rooms and wasn't soley just a performance space. I think that the fact that they put a lot of thought into the building of this means that it will be useful for multiple types of performance groups to come in and that it will bring a large variety of people in. I also appreciate that the building has been designed so it can be used as an outdoor performance space too with a larger audience in attendance. I hope that it's possible that more structures are able to be built with their surroundings in mind and try to blend in instead of being the most state of the art building that there can possibly be.
The Chapel of Sound, the insanely uniquely structured concert hall in Beijing, is breathtaking in visual aesthetic and technical design. This design is structured similarly to its surrounding environment, making it seem to blend naturally with its background. This seamless transition between the natural world and the man made chapel reflects and lends to the basic and untouched aspect of music and its resonation. The chapel incorporates a variety of elements for it to exist as a home to many: stargazers, contemplators, musicians, and more. The chapel remains preserved over time due to natural aspects built into it, including the drainage system for rain to pass and the centre void to allow natural sunlight. Not only does the centre void provide natural lighting, it also provides a unique type of spotlight, highlighting the performer and the beauty of their performance. I really hope to see this beauty in person some day.
I really loved this article and looking at this building, I feel like being where we are this building really reminded me of falling water with the idea being that it blends into the environment and that it seems like it is in tune with the nature of the area. I think it’s really gorgeous and the lighting really speaks for itself, it doesn’t seem to have any light fixtures but the way that they have carved the ceiling allows for essential dramatic lighting which I think is so creative. I also love how emotional the spaces and how dramatic it is, even though it’s made out of stock to rocked in socially I really think that it serves well for a concert hall even though outside it just seems like a rock building the inside feels really intimate even though the material is so cold and hard. I think it’s a really creative juices of making a space one-way when we expected another way and juxtaposing materials and what we traditionally think of theater and concert halls and spinning that are on a head and still fulfilling its purpose perfectly.
This building looks so cool, looking both natural and unnatural at the same time. It seems to fit in with the surrounding rocky landscape pretty well, while also looking very distinct. I like how they placed it so far away from the major city which keeps everything about it very centered in nature. The photo of the sun pouring in from the ceiling onto the solo cellist is visually striking too. It did say that when it rains, that the water falls through the opening in the top can drains thorough the drainage system. I’m curious if they have anything in place to deal with that if it starts unexpectedly raining during an actual performance or event. Or will people just get soaked? I’m also curious what sound is like inside the building. Does it resonate in there or echo off the walls? Is there a possibility of using a sound system and mixing in there?
This is a really cool piece of architecture, and probably a model for many structures that will be erected over the next few decades. The late 20th century and the 00's were the era of big blocks of glass and steel, and to be sure, those are still definitely going up, but in the last ten years there's really been a shift towards architecture that takes inspiration from and fits in with nature. We will continue building taller, building bigger, but I think more and more of the newest, most visionary projects are going to involve building more organically, building in a way that takes advantage of natural light, materials that blend in and coexist with the surrounding landscape. While I'm sure this amphitheater will at times use lighting, sound, video and other equipment, it's setup to be usable with the minimum. To take advantage of basic acoustic properties and natural light, and to ultimately be a designed part of the natural environment, rather than a designed divergence from it.
I am an emerging architectural nerd. I love the old and the new. I am fascinated with all of the ways that buildings can be constructed and designed. There is so much art and science that go together. I see it as a way of making the math beautiful. This open Concert hall outside of Beijing really gives you the feeling you are looking at something old yet very modern. It really kind of does look like it belongs in their rocky landscape. I am amazed that such a design was taken into consideration; something that has no air or heating and allows rain to fall into the building. I do wonder if they will be adding anything at all to it or if the pictures are exactly how it will be furnished. I cannot imagine the amount of planning that want into working out the acoustics of a fully concrete building where live performances are going to take place. Everything must be exact to the plans.
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