Prince Mahidol Hall | Nakhon Pathom, Thailand | 2014

Architects: Architects 49 Limited
Client: Withheld
General Contractor: Christiani & Nielsen (Thai) Public Company Limited

Prince Mahidol Hall, sets as a landmark to the Mahidol University in Salaya Campus, is renowned as the largest concert hall in Thailand.

As the winning entry of the architectural competition for a world-class concert hall, the concept incorporates Thai traditional pitched roof architecture through dramatic scale and form.

Its emblematic structure, visible from afar, has been designed to express the university’s national significance in medical achievements – named after Prince Mahidol of Songkhla, or the “Father of Modern Medicine and Public Health of Thailand.”

The abstract purity of the steel ribs forms a skeletal structure of the roof, covered with copper cladding shingled roof, inspired from “Kanpai Mahidol” (university’s symbolic plant).

The concert hall serves as an important venue for worldclass performances, the Mahidol School of Music’s resident orchestra, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra (TPO), and annual graduation commencements that can accommodate up to 2,000 seats.

The spaces inside are naturally acoustic to facilitate these forms of symphony orchestra, opera, musical performance plays as well as other events and conferences.

Other essential elements include floor diffusing air-conditioning system with minimal noise background, double-layered shells, and soundproofing finishes - ensuring the highest acoustical quality.

In deep connection with the existing masterplan, the location was selected to establish a direct relationship with the site’s axis, surrounding buildings, and open spaces. Prince Mahidol Hall not only stands out as a prominent feature to the university but also embraces the surrounding built environment.