Completed at a cost of approximately US$274 million, the Walt Disney Concert Hall opened its doors in October 2003, welcoming over 2,200 patrons into a space featuring both a classical shoebox design with balconies and a vineyard-style seating configuration that surrounds the stage and rises in sloping terrace rows.

Characterised by Douglas-fir walls, ceiling and oak flooring, the amphitheatre also had a Gehry-designed organ that resembled a Northern German Baroque organ, with 6,125 pipes of varying sizes, the longest standing at 32 feet.

Don't miss: 5 iconic skyscrapers in the making

The architectural marvel that is Harpa, serving as both a concert hall and conference centre, underwent an intricate construction process spanning nearly five years. Commencing in 2007, the project faced a temporary setback during the 2008 financial crisis before the Icelandic government made a pivotal decision to fully fund the endeavour, and revitalise the construction of the visionary concert hall.

Harpa, which translates as “harp” from Icelandic, was designed by the Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects (known for their exceptional creations like The Wave in Vejle, Denmark, and the Uppsala Concert Hall in Sweden) in collaboration with Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, who is celebrated for his sculpture and large-scale art installations.

Read more: 4 important Indian architects to know

Drawing inspiration from the region’s mountain-like basalt rock formations, Harpa boasts an avant-garde silhouette, characterised by a steel framework adorned with geometrically shaped glass panels housing 714 LED lights.

With 486 on the eastern side of the building, and another 228 on the western side, Eliasson marked the building’s 10th anniversary in 2021 with 12 new light works on the glass façade. Inside, the architects described the crimson shoebox-style amphitheatre as a “red hot centre of force.”

See also: 6 architectural landmarks to visit in Singapore

In the inner province of Alicante, Spain, architectural studio Cor & Partners (Cor Asociados Arquitectos) erected an iridescent structure that integrated seamlessly into the intimate town of Algueña, boasting a modest population of 2,000.

Leveraging their proficiency in sustainability, the award-winning firm breathed new life into a disused civil guard barracks from the 1960s, neglected since the 1980s. The result was a transformative space that served as both a concert hall and music school, featuring a versatile 230-seat auditorium with removable seating to adapt to various functions hosting local music and cultural events.

Don't miss: Meet the award-winning Malaysian architect intuitively repurposing heritage buildings

Challenged by a capped budget of €562,800, Cor & Partners ingeniously devised a low-cost solution, turning MUCA into a distinctive landmark within Algueña’s industrial landscape. The façade, clad in frost-resistant porcelain with a pearlescent or iridescent finish, created a dynamic visual effect that shifted continuously in colour and depth.

Employing established techniques of firing, vitrification and metal deposition, each dry-pressed ceramic plate underwent a meticulous process of multiple firings. From the initial “baking” at 950 degrees Celsius to applying a white-based glaze in the second firing, followed by vitrification at 1,180 degrees Celsius, and finally, reaching an iridescent reflection at approximately 780 degrees Celsius.

Read more: Meet the Malaysian architect crafting beautiful structures from bamboo

Another architectural marvel in a small settlement is Munich architect Peter Haimerl’s 2014 creation in the tranquil Northern Bavarian municipality of Blaibach.

A brutalist-style concert hall that was mindful of the village’s quaint charm and its inhabitants of approximately 2,000, the pared-down architecture paid tribute to the Bavarian village’s heritage in stone carving with a façade of granite stones.

See also: Homes designed by architects for their mums

Underneath the surface of the tilted cube monolith that spanned around 6,000 sq ft, the concert hall maintained its minimalist essence, catering to classical concerts, cultural events, and exhibitions. 

The precast concrete walls featured strategically placed gaps with slanted pleats to accommodate ambient LED lighting, while bass absorbers behind the light slits and under the steps soaked up the medium-height tones and enhanced the acoustics.

Steel mesh seats for a 200-strong audience completed the minimalist aesthetic, whereas the stage equipped with modern LED-stage technology can fit up to 60 musicians.

Don't miss: 5 outstanding Brutalist buildings that seem out of this world

Home to the Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra, the recipient of the prestigious 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award was designed by Barcelona-based Studio Barozzi Veiga, juxtaposing against the conditions of its surrounding environment in Poland’s northwestern seaport city near the Baltic Sea and the German border.

The geometric silhouette paid homage to the rich tapestry of Central European expressionist architecture: the verticality of neo-Gothic churches and Classicist buildings, as well as the steeply pitched roofs of its neighbouring edifices.

Read more: Preserving the past and shaping the future through architecture and design

The façade transcended the ordinary, exuding a weightless volume through the interplay of aluminium and ribbed-glass elements—sometimes translucent, at other times opaque. 

Spanning an expansive 13,000 sqm, the music venue encompassed conference rooms, a more intimate hall accommodating 200 attendees, and a main concert hall with 1,000 seats.

See also: Home tour: A Malaysian pitched roof home by an architect couple

Juxtaposed with the modernised exterior, the theatre-in-the-round hall design harked back to classical Central European traditions, seamlessly blending ornamental opulence with functional prowess. 

Gold leaf-coated components that adorned the interior were executed with a nod to traditional local craftsmanship. Meanwhile, acoustic excellence was achieved through the degree of fragmentation within the hall that mirrored the geometric sequencing of the building's roofline with deliberate slanting tailored to the distance from the stage.

Don't miss: 5 decor brands to explore maximalism for your home in 2024

In response to the raw force and untamed spirit of the northern city’s wilderness and frigid climate, the Harbin Grand Theatre unveiled in 2015 an undulating façade designed by the renowned MAD Architects, led by the visionary Ma Yansong, recipient of the 2010 RIBA International Fellowship.

Spanning an expansive 850,000 sq ft, the exterior of the multi-venue performing arts centre is an artistic blend of white aluminium panels and transparent triple-glazed glass pyramids. The innovative design of the latter ensured optimal insulation against extreme temperatures while mitigating condensation on the glass surfaces.

Read more: ‘Every building is a house’: Kengo Kuma on the future of architecture

The architectural narrative of the smooth and the faceted was in reference to the billowing snow and ice that made Harbin a popular tourist destination, especially during the winter months, when the visitors may ascend the carved paths leading to the apex of the building, 35 metres above ground for panoramic views of the winter wonderland below.

The representation of the bleak weather seemed to melt away in the venue’s amphitheatres. Boasting over 1,500 seats, the grand theatre was clad in Manchurian Ash wood, evoking the gentle erosion of wood during warmer seasons. Beneath the skylight, the use of organic materials and spatial configuration elevated the acoustics to a world-class level.

Meanwhile, the smaller theatre, accommodating over 400 seats, featured a large, soundproof glass window behind the stage, serving as a scenic backdrop for performances.

See also: How Mad Architects designs futuristic buildings that are at one with nature

Nestled in Hamburg’s historic seaport on the Grasbrook peninsula along the Elbe River, the Elbe Philharmonic Hall emerges from the sturdy bones of the Kaispeicher A, an aged brick warehouse from the 1960s. It was originally designed by Werner Kallmorgen to withstand the weight of thousands of cocoa bean bags.

Today, the warehouse bears the weight of a 1.3 million sq ft glass masterpiece, soaring 18 stories high with its pinnacle reaching 108 metres. Envisioned by the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, the Elbphilharmonie paid homage to the city’s heritage. The façade of curved glass panels–some intricately carved open–and an undulating roof line with eight concave surfaces reminiscent of a hoisted sail or the surrounding waves.

Don’t miss: Unveiling creativity: Pamela Tan’s award-winning fusion of art, architecture, and design

Elbphilharmonie serves as a multifaceted hub, housing residential apartments and the Westin Hamburg Hotel. Nestled amidst the skyscrapers are three concert venues, with the Great Concert Hall seating 2,100 people and surrounding the stage in a vineyard-style arrangement. 

Designed by Japanese acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, the hall featured micro-shaped drywall plates for optimal sound dispersion, delivering acoustics praised by The Washington Post for their “fantastic clarity and spatial presence.”

In line with the venue’s ethos of being a “concert hall for everyone,” the esteemed Klais Orgelbau crafted a four-manual organ with 4,765 pipes, intricately fashioned from tin and aged wood, integrated seamlessly into the terraced rows.

Read more: 5 must-visit design museums in landmark modernist buildings

Another concert hall architecture that took after a sailing ship is the one located between the Seine. 

Designed by Shigeru Ban Architects and Jean de Gastines, the sail-shaped wall of solar panels adjusted dynamically to the path of the sun. This not only provides a shaded interior throughout the day but also serves as a sustainable energy source, exemplifying a harmonious integration of form and function.

Originally the site for a Renault car manufacturing plant that shuttered and demolished in the 90s, La Seine Musicale was part of the revival of Seguin Island as envisioned by French architect Jean Nouvel.

See also: 5 most sustainably designed McDonald’s in the world

Conceptualised by Ban as a symbolic western gateway to Paris, the exterior featured mosaic tiles that metamorphose in colour under direct sunlight. Whereas underneath, the ovoid structure embraced a free-form latticed, laminated timber frame with glass.

Living up to its moniker, the “City of Music,” the complex housed an egg-shaped auditorium for classical performances. Dubbed the “Grand Seine,” the theatre-in-the-round auditorium with a seating capacity of 6,000 hosted a concert by Bob Dylan a day before inauguration week in April 2017. 

Besides that, the venue also had a dedicated music school for children and the Patrick-Devedjian Auditorium, a versatile, unamplified space for contemporary music, accommodating an audience of over 1,100. 

Don't miss: 5 idyllic modern tropical bungalows in Malaysia

Amidst the mountainous splendour of Chengde, just a scenic two-hour drive from the bustling Beijing city centre, the Chapel of Sound loomed as a majestic monolith amid the valleys, resembling an ancient relic amidst the ruins of the Ming Dynasty-era Great Wall. 

Envisioned by OPEN Architecture and spearheaded by founding partners Li Hu and Huang Wenjing, it is a multipurpose sanctuary that harmonised seamlessly with its surrounding nature, comprising an open-air amphitheatre, an outdoor stage, a green room, and a rooftop "plateau" offering unobstructed views of the nearby Great Wall.

Read more: Own or rent Not A Hotel’s Earth villa designed by Sou Fujimoto

A simplified construction without sophisticated machinery due to the location's inaccessibility, the structure was made from concrete mixed with an aggregate of crushed local rocks. 

The layered façade, reminiscent of the striated rock formations of the nearby mountains, cantilevered outwards from the previous layer to create the shape of an inverted cone.

See also: The best 10 green homes in Malaysia

Having previously crafted theatres and concert halls, OPEN Architecture approached this project with a unique perspective, drawing inspiration from the natural reverberations found in caves. 

Their commitment to an exceptional acoustic environment led them to shape the Chapel of Sound like a human ear, with carefully designed openings on the top and sides acting as sound-absorbing elements to mitigate undesirable reverberations.

NOW READ

7 iconic mid-century chairs designed by modernist architects

4 memorable real-life residences featured in this awards season’s nominees

5 gorgeous restaurants in museums around the world