The design by gmp, Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners for the Urban Concert Hall in the Chinese metropolis of Chengdu won out over the competing entries by Jean Nouvel (Paris), Zaha Hadid (London), Nikken Sekkei (Japan) and Aedas (London).

It is this specific local structure which inspired the motif for the design of the Urban Concert Hall; with its opera and concert halls, an art hotel, and other functions, it takes the shape of an urban ensemble of several volumes gathered on a shared podium, which settles into its neighborhood like a piece of a puzzle and, at the same time, generates presence and recognizability in the urban space.