Aimed at bringing tourism back to the Chinese valley, the Chapel of Sound sits in an open landscape to the north of Beijing in an area famous for hosting remnants of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. Designed to look “as if a strange and prehistoric boulder had fallen there long ago”, the Chapel of Sound is a concert hall situated amidst beautifully idyllic surroundings. Created to boost tourism, the hall was made to act as a semi-open venue for a variety of events, while also being a tourist destination in its own right, with various looking points for visitors and tourists.

The semi-open hall styles itself almost like a carved-out boulder. Made entirely out of concrete mixed with an aggregate of crushed local mineral-rich rocks, the structure houses an amphitheater on the inside, shaped acoustically for music performances and other community gatherings. The large opening on the structure’s top, together with small openings of varied shapes cut into its walls, bring in stunning views of the sky and surrounding valley. During the day, the openings cause fractured sun-beams to find their way in, lighting up the space naturally. When there’s no event being held within the Chapel of Sound, it absorbs and reverberates natural sounds from its surroundings, from the rushing of rivulets to the chirping of birds and rustling of trees. Visitors can either sit inside the chapel, absorbing the sounds of nature while they share a moment of meditation, or look through various looking points to admire the valley. Tourists can even climb to the very top of the chapel’s plateau to view the stunning panorama of the valley and be greeted by the sight of the nearby Great Wall.

Designer: OPEN Architecture