Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has unveiled its design for Eve Music Hall in Čepin, eastern Croatia, as construction progresses towards completion ahead of the opening, which is scheduled for March 2027.

The 10,000sq m venue is being developed as a new cultural, entertainment and events destination for the Slavonia region and is BIG's first completed project in Croatia, as well as its first completed music performance venue.

Designed to accommodate almost 4,000 guests indoors and up to 25,000 people for outdoor events, the complex will combine a live music venue, congress facilities, exhibition spaces, hospitality areas and rooftop event spaces.

The project is being developed by Croatian investor Marko Pipunić as part of the wider business and tourism ecosystem of the Žito Group.

It's one of the largest private investment in culture in Croatia's history.

BIG collaborated with Croatian architecture practice SIRRAH projekt and theatre consultancy Theatre Projects on the scheme. 

The scheme comprises two distinct volumes rising from the flat agricultural land. Clad in locally sourced limestone, the buildings are designed to resemble theatrical curtains draped across the landscape, with openings revealing activity inside.

"The Eve Music Hall was conceived as a musical eruption on the infinite horizon of the Slavonian fields," said Bjarke Ingels.

"Two concert halls, one large and one small, frame a public space between them. Facades of timber and stone are draped like fabrics, merging the verticality of the halls with the horizontality of the landscape.

"Slits in the stone curtains open up, inviting visitors to enter and explore. The main foyer is framed by the two mirror-clad walls of the concert halls, repeating the tent-like timber roof at infinity," he explained.

"The architectural whole is both functional and fantastical, like an architectural manifestation of utopian pragmatism. It is an embodiment of the almost oxymoronic contradiction of the bold ambition to build a regional cultural destination in the middle of the Slavonian countryside," concluded Ingels.

Visitors will enter via landscaped pedestrian routes leading to a central foyer positioned between the two halls. Inside, suspended timber beams will span the gathering space and extend into integrated seating, while mirrored surfaces will reflect views of both the interior and surrounding landscape.

The larger hall has been designed primarily for live music performances, while the smaller venue will host congresses, conferences and other events. Both spaces have been acoustically separated to allow simultaneous operation. Ingels says the venue will support a range of formats, from orchestral and seated performances to standing concerts, conferences, exhibitions and large-scale productions.

According to project details released by the development team, the main hall will contain 1,021 seats and accommodate up to 2,800 visitors in concert mode. A second multi-purpose hall will provide 308 seats for conferences, congresses and smaller performances. Additional facilities will include exhibition areas, artist support spaces, a music museum, restaurant facilities and a rooftop viewing platform overlooking the Slavonian plain.

"Eve is composed of two pragmatic music boxes, wrapped in sheets of Slavonian limestone that gently descend from the scale of the building to the scale of a bench," said João Albuquerque.

"Once inside and between the two venues, the veil of stone is supported by mass-timber hulls that shelter and shape the main foyer at the heart of Eve, creating a warm wooden world.

"Outside, as it rests gently within the agricultural plain, the building has only fronts, where all façades contemplate equally the entire natural surroundings in all directions."

The project was presented during a site event that invited guests to tour the construction works and experience the architectural vision. The programme included a live performance by pianist Peter Bence.

Eve Music Hall – fast facts

• Location: Čepin, Croatia
• Architect: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
• Local partner: SIRRAH projekt
• Theatre consultant: Theatre Projects
• Size: 10,000sq m
• Opening: March 2027
• Indoor capacity: nearly 4,000 guests
• Outdoor event capacity: up to 25,000 guests
• Main hall: 1,021 seats, up to 2,800 concert-goers
• Secondary hall: 308 seats
• Facilities: concert hall, congress centre, exhibition spaces, hospitality venues, rooftop event space and outdoor festival grounds.