11 Dec 2019
OPEN Architecture's Chapel of Sound valley amphitheatre tops out
BY Stu Robarts
OPEN Architecture's Chapel of Sound amphitheatre – designed for concerts and the appreciation of nature – has topped out at its site in a rocky valley at the foot of the Jinshanling Great Wall in Beijing municipality.
The 790sq m (8,500sq ft) structure, the designs for which were revealed in February, houses an indoor-outdoor amphitheatre, an outdoor stage, viewing platforms and supporting spaces.
It takes the appearance of a layered, naturally-formed rock formation that is smaller at its base than its top.
This inverted cone shape of its outer shell minimises the structure's impact on the site, while an inner shell with hard surfaces is shaped to optimise acoustics.
Openings in the enclosing surfaces help with sound absorption and provide views of the sky and the surroundings, allowing for contemplative observation of nature at times when there are no events.
The project was conceived as a pilot scheme for revitalising a rural area that has lost most of its population to the cities in the past couple of decades.
It topped out in last month and is due to open in mid-2020.
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