In a move blending architecture, high-end audio design and immersive cultural experience, Switzerland’s first publicly accessible “sound dome” has opened at the Klangwelt Toggenburg / Peter Roth Resonance Centre. The venue, called the Klangdom, marks an ambitious effort to re-centre sound, not just as background or accompaniment, but as a primary medium for reflection, culture, and shared sensory experience.
What is the Klangdom?
The Klangdom is housed within the Peter Roth Resonance Centre in Toggenburg, part of a wider cultural initiative dedicated to sound, resonance and listening as an art form. Built as a purpose-designed timber dome, the space has been engineered to place audio at the centre of the visitor experience rather than as a supporting element. Inside, sound is delivered through a sophisticated 33-channel immersive audio system, with loudspeakers positioned in three circular rings around the audience and an additional overhead channel that completes the spatial field. This configuration allows sound to move fluidly through the space, creating a fully enveloping, three-dimensional listening environment.
The system is powered by Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers, selected for their precision, consistency and networked capabilities, enabling detailed spatial control and reliable performance. Rather than hosting traditional performances alone, the Klangdom offers regularly scheduled listening sessions, typically 15-minute sound journeys presented on the hour, featuring curated compositions, environmental recordings and overtone-based soundscapes. These sessions encourage visitors to slow down and engage with sound as a sensory, emotional and architectural experience. Set against the backdrop of the Swiss Alps and building on Toggenburg’s long-standing association with sound-focused cultural projects, the Klangdom positions listening not as background activity, but as the primary purpose of the space.
Why It Matters
-
New benchmark for immersive audio experiences: The Klangdom shows how immersive audio spaces no longer must be experimental or niche, when acoustics, architecture, and audio design align, the result can be accessible, public and meaningful.
-
Smart-audio + networked AV infrastructure: The use of Dante / AES67 / Smart-IP loudspeakers reflects a mature, modern AV backbone, something relevant for integrators, architects, and sound-system designers globally aiming to deliver high-fidelity immersive environments.
-
Hybrid use-case potential: While built for “listening as art,” the dome’s flexible design suggests potential for concerts, spoken-word performances, meditation sessions, or even AV-art installations, making it a template for multipurpose venues wanting immersive audio-first spaces.
-
Cultural and environmental context: Located in a region known for natural beauty and a tradition of sound-based installations (the earlier Klangweg trail), the Klangdom bridges nature, heritage and modern AV-artistry, a reminder that context matters just as much as tech in immersive design.
In short, the Klangdom isn’t just a “cool demo.” It’s a thought-provoking step forward in how societies can build spaces where listening, reflection, and environment intersect through technology and design.
Continue the conversation LIVE at our UK event next April: Pro Integration Future Europe
Subscribe to Pro Integration Insider for monthly updates!
