#This Concert Hall’s undulating facade pays homage to the Bilbao Guggenheim by Frank Gehry

“Tension is a material property that creates both music and architecture”, says designer Lihan Jin, alluding to their concert hall’s unique facade. Architecture is often referred to as ‘frozen music’ – a term that pretty much describes the Tension Instrument Concert Hall’s unique, eye-catching design. While most designers try to guide a viewer’s eyes on a journey, the Tension Instrument Concert Hall doesn’t. Instead, it invites you to look in every direction, absorbing everything at once, sort of like a chorus of walls that come together to create structural harmony.

Designer: Lihan Jin

“The project is based on the study of architecture and music. The design focuses on how to take the inspiration from the intangible music and present it in the tangible architectural space. The design ultimately combines the two through “tension”,” Jin mentions.

The insides of the hall are just about as chaotically beautiful as the outsides. The bent wooden elements really do a wonderful job of being the characteristic design element. They break up the space into unique segments, which are then used to create different seating levels and balconies that face a stage, located right in the room’s center. Music from the stage radiates outwards, bouncing off the walls and facades in an uneven way to create unique reverbs and delays. The feeling, I imagine, is just as captivating to the ears as it is to the eyes!

The Tension Instrument Concert Hall is a Gold Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2023.