MAD Architects has shared an update on its nearly-complete China Philharmonic Concert Hall in Beijing.

The project encompasses almost 280,000 square feet of total building area and features an organic two-story volume sheathed in a translucent membrane-like facade the firm says is reminiscent of a piece of jade, a gemstone that has, for millennia, played a significant role in Chinese ethnography.

Located next to the 64-year-old Workers’ Stadium Complex, the 1,600-seat venue includes a 350-seat rehearsal space and was developed alongside world-renowned acoustics expert Yasuhisa Toyota to serve as the new home of the equally well-regarded China Philharmonic Orchestra.

Nestled in its interior, a sloping “vineyard style” serried seating arrangement defines the concert space that also takes advantage of the influx of natural light provided by the structure’s unique façade system.

Concertgoers can take in their performances enhanced by an “integrated experience of acoustic floating projections” and underneath a ceiling made out of white sound reflection panels whose shape is inspired by lotus flowers. 

An 88-pipe Casavant organ rises in the form of a bamboo field to once again refer back to the natural heritage of the country. Finally, the auditory delivery is distributed evenly throughout the hall thanks to slight alterations made to the ceiling molding and positioning of the wall and reflection panels. 

MAD says this offers an “immersive multi-sensory space that will prepare audiences for a spiritual music journey that washes away the venue’s urban surroundings.”

When viewed from the outside, the embossed glass of the façade system forms a monumental “light box” backlit by parallel lighting devices that are installed on the main steel and longitudinal structures of the building. The number of devices were gradually reduced from the east orientation in order to effect the desired need for “ethereal lighting.”

The firm says finally its design 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.”

The project follows the 2015 Harbin Opera House design and precedes the delayed opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. 

Construction costs for the Concert Hall are not known. MAD expects the venue to be ready for its premier by early 2024.