Icelander designs India's largest concert hall
Construction of the concert hall has begun. It is located in Schillong, the capital of Meghalaya, one of the smallest states in India. Image/Guðjón Bjarnason
Icelandic artist and architect Guðjón Bjarnason is the designer behind India's largest concert hall, which is being built in Shillong in North East India. Bjarnason won an official competition for the design of the building, named SIPAC, or the Shillong International Center of Performing Arts and Culture.
The building will seat two thousand guests and include an outdoor theatre for twenty thousand people. It will serve as a cultural centre to the whole of India and work with smaller institutions within the country.
According to Bjarnason the design is based on a polygonal entrance hall with a transparent indoor garden which interconnects four music halls. He adds that the astounding beauty of Meghalya inspired the design: ancient musical culture, the Himalayas and the national anthem of the tribes living there.
The building will also have an art gallery, several reception halls, and a restaurant with views to the Himalayas. The overall plans of the area are for an adjacent hotel and a design centre and GB-AAA, Bjarnason's architectural firm will oversee all the design. Construction of the concert hall will be complete in thirty months time.
