sheer white, fluid facade envelops MAD architects' near-complete concert hall in beijing

china philharmonic concert hall by mad nears completion 

MAD Architects is nearing the completion of the China Philharmonic Concert Hall in Beijing. With an overall size of 11,600 sqm and a total building area of 26,000 sqm, the concert hall is one of the most significant cultural projects in the nation’s capital. It will become the first permanent residence of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, which gave rise to a new generation of symphonies in the country. The concert hall is located on the south side of the Workers’ Stadium, one of Beijing’s most vibrant retail, entertainment, and nightlife regions. Carving out a space of tranquility, MAD envisioned the complex as a peaceful respite from the bustling environment surrounding it, a space in which an active dialogue between classical music and contemporary life could occur.

China Philharmonic Concert Hall by MAD Architects | image © CreatAR

undulating + translucent facade echoing the flow of music

The music venue consists of a main concert hall and rehearsal spaces split between two floors. Surrounded by a lotus pond and greenery that will be open to the public, the architecture of MAD’s (see more here) China Philharmonic Concert Hall reveals a fluid and translucent facade reminiscent of a piece of jade. Daylight is diffused through the sheer white curtain wall into the lucid space. At the center of the soaring lobby, a grand spiral staircase connects the curvilinear hallways, providing a dynamism akin to the flow of music.

The 1,600-seat grand concert hall is organized in ‘vineyard style,’ visualized as sloping terraces and serried rows. On the south side of the building, a 350-seat rehearsal hall is nestled within curved wooden walls shaped to optimize acoustics. The white reflection panels on the ceiling, formally inspired by lotus flowers, are optimized to make music sound mellow and pleasant. By adjusting the molding angles and positions of the ceiling, wall, and reflection panels, the early reflected sound from different distances can evenly cover the stage and auditorium to balance travel time across the entire room.

the building is expected to complete in 2024 | image © Xu Chen

shaping a sacred, multi-sensory ‘light box’ in beijing 

The world-class organ by Casavant is composed of 88 pipes, with different heights and mouth positions appearing like a field of bamboo with cylindrical feet from the base rather than the typical conical form. The integrated experience of acoustic floating projections and a daily transition from natural to artificial light creates an immersive multi-sensory space that will prepare audiences for a spiritual music journey that washes away the venue’s urban surroundings.

The facade system adopts embossed glazing, making the China Philharmonic Concert Hall appear white and pure while bringing sufficient natural light to the interior. This system combines the fabric structure to form a monumental ‘light box.’ The lighting devices are installed parallel to one another on the main steel structure and longitudinal structure to illuminate the translucent membrane surface from behind and softly brighten the façade through secondary reflection. The number of devices gradually reduced from the east side of the building to create an ethereal lighting effect from a distance.

Once open to the public, China Philharmonic Concert Hall will become a pure and sacred oasis in the middle of the city, providing a state-of-the-art performance venue that fosters cultural exchange and stands as China’s new locus for classical music. MAD is expected to complete construction in 2024.

facade detail | image © Zhengdong Li

bird’s eye view | rendering © MAD Architects

main concert hall | rendering © MAD Architects

lobby | rendering © MAD Architects

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image © Zhengdong Li

image © CreatAR

image © Zhengdong Li

image © Zhengdong Li

rendering © MAD Architects

project info:

name: China Philharmonic Concert Hall

location: Beijing, China 

architecture: MAD Architects | @madarchitects

client: China Philharmonic Orchestra

principal partners in charge: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano

associate partners in charge: Liu Huiying, Kin Li

executive architecture: Radio, Film & TV Design and Research Institute, Beijing Homedale Institute of Urban Planning & Architectural Design

design team: Zheng Chengwen, Wang Qi, Fu Xiaoyi, He Xiaokang, Xiao Ying, Zeng Hao, Wang Shuobin, Wang Yiming, Hu Jinchang, Jacob Hu, Brecht van Acker, Wang Deyuan, Dora Lam, Ben Yuqiang, Zhang Long, Deng Wei, Connor Hymes, Chen Yien, Shen Chen, Yan Ran

structural engineering: CCDI Group

facade consultant: RFR Shanghai

interior design: Beijing Honggao Architectural Decoration and Construction Design Co., Ltd.

lighting consultant: SIGN Lighting

landscape architecture: Palm Design Co., Ltd.

signage design: Zheng Bang Creative (Beijing) Brand Technology Company Limited

site area: 11,600 sqm 

building area: 26,587 sqm 

building height: 24 m

main concert hall capacity: 1,600 seats

small concert hall capacity: 350 seats