The “Chapel of Sound”, located two hours away from the center of Beijing, looks like a massive balancing boulder that mysteriously appeared in a mountain valley.

Photo: Zhu Runzi

Beijing studio OPEN Architecture has built a monolithic concert hall in the open air. It looks like a natural boulder, because the architects used not only concrete, but also mineral rocks from this region for the construction.

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

The studio wanted to create a structure that would fit into the landscape as harmoniously as possible, while meeting all the standards of the concert hall. The architects, together with the engineering firm Arup, designed the structure in the form of an inverted cone — each concrete layer cantilevers from the previous one. And the halls, similar to caves, have excellent acoustics.

Photo: Zhu Runzi

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

The “Chapel of Sound” includes a semi-open amphitheater, an open stage, observation decks and a green room. The music halls resemble caves: the openings let in natural light and open up views of the valley dotted with the ruins of the Great Wall.

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

When the “chapel” is not used for concerts, it functions as a space for quiet contemplation. The architects wanted people to have a place where they could relax and listen to the sounds of nature, which, in their opinion, deeply inspire and heal.

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

There is no heating or air conditioning in the concert hall, so the building consumes a minimum of energy. Holes in the walls and roof allow you to illuminate the workrooms, and during rain, water cascades through the void in the center, and then goes into the drainage system.

Photo: OPEN architecture

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

Photo: Ni Nan

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