Tag: music | ArchDaily

Building with the “Blue Note”: Tension, Deviation, and Structure in Architecture

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:30:00 +0000

By operating with only five notes, the pentatonic scale establishes a stable and intuitive musical system in which structural clarity allows for variation without the risk of excessive dissonance. From this consolidated structure, which forms the basis of countless musical styles, especially popular music, the blues introduced a decisive inflection by incorporating additional notes into the scale. Without delving into excessive technicalities, these are subtle tonal deviations, small dissonances often associated with a more melancholic sound, known as blue notes. Played fleetingly rather than as emphatic accents, they briefly tension the system, adding expressiveness and depth while keeping the underlying structure intact.

Renzo Piano Building Workshop Designs Curved Concrete Opera Hall Rising from Hanoi’s West Lake

Antonia Piñeiro — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), in collaboration with Sydney and Hanoi-based PTW Architects, has begun construction of the Isola della Musica, a new opera house and convention center in Hanoi, Vietnam. Commissioned by Sun Group, the project was first conceived in 2017 and forms part of a broader masterplan that reshapes the existing boundary between West Lake and Đầm Trị Lake. Inspired by the region's history of pearl cultivation, the building features a series of curved concrete shells whose forms and surfaces evoke the texture and luminosity of mother-of-pearl.

Casa da Música: Transforming Domestic Experimentation into Public Monumentality

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Wed, 21 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

At the turn of the millennium, the world was gripped by the looming threat of the Y2K bug, a potential failure of computerized systems that could disrupt everything from banking to aviation. As midnight approached on December 31, 1999, people withdrew their savings, major corporations issued warnings, and governments scrambled to prevent public hysteria. But as the sun rose on January 1, 2000, the feared bug had no material impact, and the crisis faded as quickly as it had emerged. However, this era left its mark in unexpected places — particularly in architecture. Amid the anxiety surrounding digital technology, one of the most iconic concert halls of our time, Casa da Música in Porto, was born. Designed by OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture), its origins can be traced to a much smaller project: the Y2K House. What began as an exploration of private domesticity during the digital scare evolved into a grand public structure — an architectural transition from home to a performance hall.

Hungarian Pavilion Unveils Design for Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan

Nour Fakharany — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 05:30:00 +0000

The Hungarian Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka is designed to reflect the event's central theme, "Designing Future Society for Our Lives." It explores the relationship between humans and nature, emphasizing cultural heritage and sustainability through its architecture and exhibition. The pavilion will offer an immersive experience centered around music, heritage, and the connection between people and their environment.

Zaha Hadid Architects Reveals Design for New Scientific Research Centre in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Maria-Cristina Florian — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 05:30:00 +0000

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been announced as the architect of the Alisher Navoi International Scientific Research Centre, an expansive cultural and educational facility taking shape in New Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The center is set to incorporate the Navoi State Museum of Literature, along with a 400-seat auditorium and an International Research Center and residential school dedicated to training 200 students in the Uzbek language, literature, and music.

Coachella 2024 Installations Explore the Intersection of Art, Music, and Community

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 06:30:00 +0000

The annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has opened in Los Angeles with a selection of large-scale art installations curated by the Public Art Company in collaboration with Paul Clemente. The festival grounds at the Empire Polo Field have been reimagined with three newly commissioned works by a diverse group of artists, architects, and designers. Challenging conventional norms and experimenting with new technologies and artistic expressions, these temporary interventions are an invitation for playful exploration, connection, and contemplation, enhancing the festivalgoer’s experience.

A Hub for Musical Exploration: GRAFT Wins Competition for Carl Bechstein Campus in Berlin

Nour Fakharany — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 05:30:00 +0000

GRAFT Architects has just won the competition to design the new Carl Bechstein Music Campus. Located centrally in Berlin, the Carl Bechstein Foundation’s main goal with the campus is to create a cultural hub entirely devoted to piano music. Serving as a focal point for the Bechstein Brand, established in 1853 and known for its variety of Bechstein pianos, this campus will serve as a focal point and a new headquarters for the foundation.

Immersive Spaces: Shaping Profound Experiences Through Architecture and Art

Carla Bonilla Huaroc — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Immersive spaces are heavily sensorial environments meant to create impactful experiences crafted through intentionally curated architecture, light, imagery, sound, and sometimes even smell. To "immerse" oneself is to be wholly enveloped in a world shaped solely by immediate sensory input. Using digital tools to craft these environments to showcase art, create compelling exhibitions, and feature performance events has become increasingly popular. Evocative experiences like these can offer a respite from the inundation of personalized digital content and foster shared, grounding encounters. The design of these can exist at the intersection of architecture, graphic design, visual art, lighting design, music, and performance. They underscore the power of interdisciplinary collaboration to craft memorable moments. So, what role does architecture play in shaping these?

BIG Designs Immersive Set Design for the World Tour of WhoMadeWho

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 06:30:00 +0000

Architecture group BIG has unveiled the new stage design for the world tour of the Danish band WhoMadeWho. With visuals developed in collaboration with flora&faunavisions, EyeMix Studio, and Christopher Mulligan, the design features an inflatable sphere created to become a canvas for the three-dimensional video projections that contribute to the concert experience. The tour kicked off on November 2023 and will reach several cities around the world, including Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Istanbul, New York City, Los Angeles, Santiago de Chile, London as well as the band’s hometown, Copenhagen.

Cross-Cultural Collaboration: A Tool for Imagining Africa's Future

Paul Yakubu — Fri, 26 May 2023 07:30:00 +0000

As Venice Architecture Biennale presents its 18th edition titled "The Laboratory of the Future", it centers on Africa as a place of exploration that will offer a template for solutions to the world. According to its curator Lesley Lokko, the Biennale explores entrenched concepts such as climate, land rights, decolonization, and cultures. It challenges us to question how Africa's history can be a radical tool for imagination and reminds us of Stephen Covey's statement: “Live out of your imagination, not just your history.” The biennale's title is probably the most ambitious question in years. It forces us to revisit all boundaries of the continent's historical societies, explore the influence of imposed colonial borders on them, and examine the dual identities they gave birth to. We must consider how these identities can be instruments of creativity, and, more importantly, recognize that every African society has a unique point of view. This viewpoint yearns for cross-cultural collaboration as a powerful tool for imagination.

Miralles Tagliabue EMBT Wins Competition to Design Shenzhen's Conservatory of Music

Christele Harrouk — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 06:30:00 +0000

Miralles Tagliabue EMBT, directed by Benedetta Tagliabue, has won the international competition to design the Shenzhen Conservatory of Music, one of the city's 10 new era cultural buildings. Characterized by the dialogue generated with its surroundings, the complex integrates music and art in nature with a proposal of organic and sustainable architecture.

Free Metropolitan Opera Documentary Stream of "The Opera House"

Rene Submissions — Wed, 06 May 2020 11:55:00 +0000

The Metropolitan Opera offers a free stream each night on the Met website for a period of 23 hours, from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 6:30 p.m. EDT the following day.

Beginning on Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. EDT, the Met will present a free stream of "The Opera House" by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke.

The 2017 documentary is about the fascinating creation of the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, which opened in 1966. Through rarely seen archival footage and recent interviews, discover the untold stories of the artists, architects, and politicians who shaped the cultural life of New

Rudy Ricciotti + Amelia Tavella Design the Ajaccio Conservatory of Music in France

Christele Harrouk — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 06:35:00 +0000

Amelia Tavella and Rudy Ricciotti have won the bid for the Henri Tomasi Conservatory of Music, Dance and Performing Arts. Selected by the city of Ajaccio, the designers proposed an integrated building into the Corsican slope.

1024 architecture design Immersive Installations for Techno Exhibition in Paris

Niall Patrick Walsh — Fri, 03 May 2019 09:00:00 +0000

1024 architecture has released details of their exhibition at La Philharmonie de Paris. Freed from the classic codes of presentation, the exhibition adopts a raw, deliberately urban design, including a scaffolding structure reminiscent of concert scenery. The firm as also designed a digital installation, Core, whose light sculptures change with the soundtrack.

Rem Koolhaas Featured on Electronica Band Tempers’ New Album

Megan Schires — Sat, 02 Feb 2019 12:00:00 +0000

They say diversity is key for a strong portfolio. Now OMA's Rem Koolhaas can add “featured artist on a musical album” to his resume. New York-based duo Tempers, in collaboration with German artist Katja Eichinger, feature Koolhaas in a mall-themed concept album.

The New Mixtape Featuring Your Favorite Designers

AD Editorial Team — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 11:00:00 +0000

Architecture has long proved an inspiration to musicians, with artists as diverse as Art Garfunkel and Kanye all drawing (so to speak) from the field. Some musicians even began their professional careers as architects - Weird Al, Ice Cube, and three of Pink Floyd's founding members among them.

11 Kanye West Albums Reimagined as Architecture

Niall Patrick Walsh — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 14:00:00 +0000

Designer Amaory B. Portorreal has produced a series of illustrations depicting houses inspired by the music of Kanye West. The series is in response to the hip-hop artist’s recent announcement that he would be launching a new architecture venture focusing on low-income housing.

Call for Submission: Associated Projects of the Lisbon Triennale 2019

Rene Submissions — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 10:00:00 +0000

The Lisbon Triennale is looking for national and international independently funded proposals that can be articulated and also complement the central program of its 5th edition, that will take place between October 3rd and December 2nd 2019.