Brilliant color provides a backdrop for special occasions in China.

Vanceva™ color interlayers used to create rainbow effect in new chapel.

In response to a growing interest in more creative wedding venues in China, the Shanghai Museum of Glass created a stunning addition: the Rainbow Chapel at its G+PARK extension in northern Shanghai.

Designed by Tilman Thürmer and Manuela Mappa with their Coordination Asia design team, the Rainbow Chapel’s 390-square-meter interior showcases 3,060 transparent and semitransparent glass panels in 65 vibrant colors from the Vanceva color interlayer system. These glass panels create a 6.8-meter-high circular façade which transitions like a rainbow from red, orange, and yellow to blue, green, and purple inside a brilliant white cube. Like a ball in a box, the Rainbow Chapel marries two fundamental Chinese symbols: the circle represents fullness and unity, while the square represents honesty and virtue. Together, they provide the place—and expectantly, in turn, the celebrants—with good luck.

Surrounded by a serenely neutral background, the focus of the Rainbow Chapel is its vibrant colored glass panes. The pale grey flooring reflects the pattern of the stained panes, and three of the cube’s walls are open to natural lighting. The fourth solid wall and overhanging roof provide shelter and additional light. The Rainbow Chapel, with its adjacent 1,200-square-meter Banquet Hall, is the perfect setting for weddings, anniversaries, concerts, and other special events.