Whale-shaped concert hall with architectural spiral fabric in Buenos Aires

5,500 m² of architectural spiral fabric, consisting of over 1,200 individual elements, cloak the internal ellipsoid concert hall.

The architects from B4FS in Argentina designed fascinating fabric cladding for the concert hall at the Centro Cultural Kirchner. Due to its shape and the blue color reflected back from the walls and pedestal that surround it, the striking centerpiece of the cultural center is known by locals as the Ballena Azul (blue whale).

The visually seamless building shell consists of a custom version of the Escale metal fabric with 70-millimeter-high spirals made from stainless steel and round bars made from aluminum. All individual fabric elements were attached to the building’s formative substructure without visible joins using fastening hooks at the top and bottom.