Piano Building
[edit] 
Located in the Shannan district in Huainan City, China, this glazed building in the form of a violin leaning against a piano was completed in 2007.
Designed by architectural students from the Hefei University of Technology, the building is built at a scale of 50:1, and serves as a showroom for exhibiting development plans.
The transparent violin is made from clear glass panels and contains escalators and a staircase for the main piano building which accommodates two concert halls.
The piano structure is built on three concrete legs and is made from hundreds of black glass panels interspersed with clear and white glass to represent piano keys. A roof terrace is sheltered beneath a canopy shaped like the propped-open lid of a piano.
The construction of the Huainan Piano Building was not cheap, with the total cost estimated to be around $35 million. This high cost can be attributed to the building's unique design and the use of advanced construction techniques.
Despite the high cost of construction, the Huainan Piano Building has proven to be a worthwhile investment for the city of Huainan. The building has become a major tourist attraction, drawing visitors from all over the world to admire its unique design and architecture. The building has also been used as a venue for events, such as concerts and exhibitions, further adding to its popularity and value. It has been called ‘the most romantic building in China’ as newly-weds come to have their photograph taken in front of it.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Auditorio de Tenerife.
- Big Duck.
- Building of the week series.
- Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
- Fish Building, India.
- Haines Shoe House.
- ING House.
- Kunsthaus Graz.
- Lotus Temple.
- Lucy the elephant.
- Mimetic architecture.
- Teapot building.
- The Big Basket.
- Unusual building design of the week.
- Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Featured articles and news
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.
The restoration of the novelist’s birthplace in Eastwood.
Life Critical Fire Safety External Wall System LCFS EWS
Breaking down what is meant by this now often used term.
PAC report on the Remediation of Dangerous Cladding
Recommendations on workforce, transparency, support, insurance, funding, fraud and mismanagement.
New towns, expanded settlements and housing delivery
Modular inquiry asks if new towns and expanded settlements are an effective means of delivering housing.
Building Engineering Business Survey Q1 2025
Survey shows growth remains flat as skill shortages and volatile pricing persist.
Construction contract awards remain buoyant
Infrastructure up but residential struggles.
Home builders call for suspension of Building Safety Levy
HBF with over 100 home builders write to the Chancellor.
CIOB Apprentice of the Year 2024/2025
CIOB names James Monk a quantity surveyor from Cambridge as the winner.
Warm Homes Plan and existing energy bill support policies
Breaking down what existing policies are and what they do.
Treasury responds to sector submission on Warm Homes
Trade associations call on Government to make good on manifesto pledge for the upgrading of 5 million homes.
A tour through Robotic Installation Systems for Elevators, Innovation Labs, MetaCore and PORT tech.
A dynamic brand built for impact stitched into BSRIA’s building fabric.
BS 9991:2024 and the recently published CLC advisory note
Fire safety in the design, management and use of residential buildings. Code of practice.