'guangzhou opera house' by zaha hadid architects
image courtesy roy zhuang


'guangzhou opera house' by zaha hadid is nearing completion with a projected opening date
of early 2011. the 70,000 m2 complex rests at the heart of the city's cultural sites development,
establishing a close relationship with the pearl river to the south. featuring two volumes wrapped
in a triangulated skin of concrete, glass, and steel, the project aims to enhance urban functions by
opening access to the riverside and dock. the resulting design serves as an urban and iconic gateway
while establishing guangzhou as one of asia's cultural epicenters.



triangulated, structural skin
image courtesy puikincz


the spine and structural frame of the faceted skin is a dominant element in the interior space:
the lobby, entrance, and circulation area interacts with the dynamic treatment,
moving and guiding the visitors throughout the volume. the many levels provide sight lines
into the main atrium space, establishing a sense of connection and orientation within
the opera house. in addition to the 1,800-seat grand theatre, the complex hosts a multifunction hall,
a number of auxiliary facilities and support premises.



(left) entrance lobby
(right) staircase
images courtesy roy zhuang



main circulation space
image courtesy puikincz



multifunctional hall
image courtesy roy zhuang



hallway
image courtesy roy zhuang



grand theatre
image courtesy zaha hadid architects
photo © virgile simon bertrand



exterior ramp
image courtesy roy zhuang



parking space below
image courtesy triplefivedrew



entrance plaza
image courtesy triplefivedrew



between the two volumes
image courtesy triplefivedrew



detail of skin
image courtesy triplefivedrew



reflecting pond outside
image courtesy pavel vasyliev



entrance at night
image courtesy pavel vasyliev



exterior ramp lit up
image courtesy pavel vasyliev



entrance
image courtesy pavel vasyliev



along the pearl river
image © zaha hadid architects



rendered fly-by
image © zaha hadid architects



approach
image © zaha hadid architects



lobby
image © zaha hadid architects



circulation space
image © zaha hadid architects


design team:
design: zaha hadid with patrik schumacher
project director: woody k.t. yao
project leader: simon yu
project team: jason guo, yang jingwen, long jiang, ta-kang hsu, yi-ching liu, zhi wang,
christine chow, cyril shing, filippo innocenti, lourdes sanchez, hinki kwong, junkai jiang
competition team (first stage): filippo innocenti, matias musacchio, jenny huang,
hon kong chee, markus planteu, paola cattarin, tamar jacobs, yael grifantini,
flavio la gioia, nina safainia, fernando vera martin henn, achim gergen,
graham modlen, imran mahmood
competition team (second stage): cyril shing, yansong ma, yosuke hayano,
adriano de gioannis, barbara pfenningstorff

consultants:
local architect: guangzhou pearl river foreign investment,
architectural designing institute (guangzhou, china)
structure: SHTK (shanghai, china); guangzhou pearl river,
foreign investment architectural designing institute
facade: KGE engineering (zhuhai, china)
building services: guangzhou pearl river foreign investment, architectural designing institute
M&E: max fordham and partners (london, UK); OK design group
theatre: ENFI (beijing, china)
lighting: beijing light & view (being, china)
acoustic: marshall day acoustics (melbourne, australia)
project management: guangzhou municipal construction group co. ltd. (guangzho, china)
cost: guangzhou jiancheng engineering costing consultant, office ltd. (guangzhou, china)
principal contractor: china construction third engineering bureau co. ltd. (guangdong, china)