The Chapel of Sound, designed by OPEN Architecture, is located in Chengde, Hebei Province. The building resembles a monolithic prehistorical boulder, situated in a remote valley traversed by the Great Wall since ancient times. It houses a semi-outdoor music hall, terraces with views of the valley, an outdoor stage, and a musician’s studio.
The building’s inverted cone shape follows the contours of the valley, touching down with the smallest footprint on a flat part of the valley, thereby minimizing disturbance to the surrounding landscape. Its interior is sculpted for optimal acoustics and immersive audience experience, giving invisible sound visible forms and offering experiences that stimulate different senses.
The building is made of dark concrete, with aggregates from crushed local rocks. The horizontally layered form is designed to cope with construction challenges in this remote valley without advanced machinery while echoing the natural layered rock formations. The concert hall is designed for chamber music performances. Solid and faceted concrete surfaces reflect and distribute sound evenly in the hall, while the openings in the ceiling and walls were carefully placed to absorb sound. Moreover, these openings allow natural daylight, valley scenery, and subtle sounds of nature to enter.
While designed to capture the unfamiliar and deeply touching experience of music performed in the cradle of nature, the architect also wanted people to relax and appreciate the inspiring and healing sounds of nature. When there is no performance, the concert hall serves as a space for contemplation and community gathering surrounded by nature.
