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12.16.22 | DIGS.NET 15 P R O F I L E | O P E N A R C H I T E C T U R E J O N A T H A N L E I J O N H U F V U D A R C H I T E C T U R E + D E S I G N "We gave lots of thought to how it may be used when there is no performance," the architects explain of the structure, whose seamless and simplistic-appearing monolith disguises sophisticated modern technologies integrated within. The result is calm and peaceful and at the same time feeds one's natural inclination to think and explore. "It feels serene and comfortable for one person alone in the space" with "many viewing platforms for people to appreciate the beautiful landscape and feel fully connected to nature. We hope the building conveys something primor- dial and spiritual, which reflects the reality of nature itself. In our contemporary life overflowing with information, anxiety, and virtual reality, we feel it is more important than ever to reconnect with our innate sensitivities; to see, to feel, to hear, to sense with our own body and mind. And [to] be at a whole with nature." Imagine: a building named Chapel of Sound to quell the noise of our world. In the end, Li and Huang envisioned and realized a venue for multiple experi- ences: listening to music in an acoustical space surrounded by nature, gathering communally, or spending time alone solo in contemplation of a place, an age, the natural world. Put another way, "The world is full of gigantic spaces," Li told The World Around. "Here you can feel it. That is the human scale. The human relationship. It's very important." openarch.com "Inspiration comes from many directions for us," they say. "Nature is the ultimate one. Rocks have always fascinated us—we pick up local specimens wherever we go, so naturally, we were inspired by the rocks and geological formations at the site." On another note, they add, "When we were doing research, we came across scenes of concerts being played in natural caves which deeply touched us, seeing how nature cradles and amplifies music, and how human-created art can connect with immensely powerful nature." Li and Huang's fidelity to nature cuts across projects but is particularly reso- nant with the Chapel of Sound. There is a strong spirit in the valley and the remnants of the Great Wall here are quite unlike what tourists normally see. Dilapidated and hidden on a mountain ridge, they are built into the actual landscape. But, as said Huang told The World Around, "We are at a different age." Rather than "build against," she pondered, "maybe we build something that can coexist with nature." But to do so while still respecting the exist- ing historical landmark. In quickly realizing that any attempt to embed architecture into the surrounding mountain landscape would destroy the existing fragile balance between the topography and the ecosys- tem, Li and Huang decided to, as they put it, "translate that primitive quality into a special building, something that might seem like a prehistoric boulder landed here mysteriously, touching the ground with minimum footprint." This special building articulates much of OPEN's broader philosophies about doing architecture. They are human- ists and Chapel of Sound is a deeply humanistic endeavor. It's also intensely rational, a structure of two forces: the intuitive (or emotional reaction) and the logical (function). That these forces are in harmony is what makes Chapel of Sound as architecturally elegant as it is transcendent, a feeling amplified by large shafts of natural light that stream through the rooftop void. Bronze handrails and doors, meanwhile, lend add warmth to the concrete environment.