Known for the sculptural appearance and experience of the oneiric world, Zaha Hadid Architects deliver yet another awe-inspiring architectural marvel, that on deeper analysis reveals the intricacies of concept and techniques employed to achieve a futuristic design with contextual references.
The first public opera house dates back to 1637, the Teatro San Cassiano in Venice, Italy. With time, the technology and designs of opera houses across the globe have evolved, keeping pace with newer innovations and requirements. The iconic architecture of an opera house usually makes it a landmark for its host city while promoting performing arts in the region.
The Guangzhou Opera House is a newly constructed Chinese opera house in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, People’s Republic of China. In April 2002, an international architectural competition attracted world famous architectural firms, each of which presented their detailed designs.
In November 2002, Zaha Hadid’s design ‘double pebble’ was announced the winner. Today, the theatre has become the biggest performing centre in Southern China and is one of the three biggest theatres in the nation alongside the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and the Shanghai Grand Theatre in Shanghai.
As a default trait of any Zaha Hadid structure, this too is marked by bold forms, dynamic curves and a breakthrough yet contextual concept. The project is blessed with an extraordinary site; nestled on one of the banks of Pearl River, the building is conceptualised like pebbles in a stream, smoothened by erosion.
At the heart of the Guangzhou’s cultural development, the structure sits in perfect harmony with its riverside location, unifying the adjacent cultural buildings with the towers of international finance in Guangzhou’s Zhujiang new town.
Known as the uncrowned queen of contemporary iconic architecture, Hadid’s buildings are distinctively neo-futuristic. The powerful structures just cannot go unnoticed. Her structures usually define a new skyline and standout as a landmark for its surrounding region.
True to its lineage, Guangzhou Opera House’s unique twin boulder design with a contoured profile and approach promenade enriches the urban life through a new dialogue by opening access to the riverside and dock areas. A deeper study of river valleys and their transformation under erosion influence this design immensely.
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians create a dramatic performance combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. With the fragmented geometry, this drama is translated into form as the Guangzhou Opera House. The building through its architecture celebrates this traditional form of the performing arts.
Folded lines in the landscape define territories and zones within the Opera House, cutting dramatic interior and exterior canyons for circulation allowing natural light to penetrate deep into the building.
The fluidity of forms creates alluring frames of vision. Every angle reveals a new perspective of the building and there is no boring corner in this edifice. Smooth transitions between disparate elements and different levels continue in this landscape analogy.
Zaha Hadid Architects embraced digital drawing early on enabling the studio to challenge the traditional ways of creating architecture. Custom moulded glass-fibre reinforced gypsum (GFRG) units have been used for the interior of the auditorium to continue the architectural language of fluidity and seamlessness.
The 1,800-seat auditorium of the Opera House houses the very latest acoustic technology. The smaller 400-seat multifunction hall is designed for performance art, operas and concerts. The primary functions are assisted with a cafeteria, gift shop, research centre and a press conference room.
The Guangzhou Opera House has been the catalyst for the development of cultural facilities in the city including new museums, a library and archives. This latest realisation of Zaha Hadid Architects is a unique exploration of contextual urban relationships; it combines the cultural traditions of Guangzhou’s history, with an optimism that aims straight at the future.
Text By Kruti Choksi Kothari
Photographs Courtesy Christian Richters,
Hufton And Crow, Iwan Baan and
Virgile Simon Bertrand
Contact
web: www.zaha-hadid.com
