The following description is courtesy of SCA|Steven Chilton Architects.
Located in the Huadu District of Guangzhou, China, the ‘Sunac Guangzhou Grand Theatre’ is a recently completed, 2000 seat purpose‐built theatre, designed by London based practice SCA|Steven Chilton Architects.
Guangzhou is the birthplace of the ‘Silk Road on the Sea’ and has been a significant centre for the arts and trading since the Han Dynasty. Inspired by its traditional and contemporary artists, the concept for the theatre has been informed by silk embroidery and tattoo culture.
Steven Chilton says, ‘Guangzhou has been the home of and inspiration for artists who have helped to define the worlds concept of Chinese culture for thousands of years. Through our work on the theatre, we have endeavoured to channel the history, emotion and creative energy of the city in a building whose purpose is to nurture the next generation of cultural leaders.’
Silk has been embroidered by fine artists in Guangzhou for thousands of years, developing as a creative medium for depicting myths and scenes of nature on tapestries and ornamental robes.
Tattoo culture is currently growing in popularity amongst China’s younger generation, who are embracing it as an expression of individuality. It has inspired a renewed interest in traditional Chinese culture, where symbols and myths often fetishized in popular western culture are being repatriated and shown as a contemporary expression of pride in Chinese culture.
The physicality of silk cloth informed the formal expression of the building through a series of ten, gently twisting folds that define the outer envelope. The various entrances into the building are created by ‘tucking’ the surface in on itself where the
valley of each fold would meet the ground plane. Each entrance is protected by a natural canopy created by the overhanging surface before it ‘tucks’ in to define the opening.
The theatres mission to cultivate talent is expressed through the imagery applied to the surface of the cladding.
Steven Chilton says, ‘We were influenced by a beloved local myth, ‘100 Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’. The Phoenix or ‘Fenghuang’ stands for virtue and grace whilst the allegory signifies notions of recognition, leadership and mentoring.’
Using illustrations created by artist Zhang Hongfei, SCA digitised and interpreted his hand drawings before mapping each figure onto the surface geometry. We developed a compositional style inspired by the personal and instinctive sensibility observed in tattoo art. Each figure was placed on the ’body’ of the theatre during a series of studies in response to the topology of the surface geometry. Whilst significant figures like the Phoenix were positioned where the form afforded prominence, lesser figures such as birds, were organically arranged in the spaces between.
The cladding is composed of thousands of perforated aluminium panels, each painted with a unique portion of the overall composition. They are supported by a complex structure of welded steel tubes that work interdependently with the concrete superstructure supporting the theatre floors.
Auditorium Design
The auditorium design, led by Dragone and theatre consultant Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, is an immersive performance environment that can be transformed from a more typical 360 degree theatre into any number of alternate configurations.
The immersive experience is provided for the audience via 360 overhead LED screens. Integrated above the stage are 12 acrobatic hoists and 3 acrobatic tracks and trolleys. Above the audience at the gridiron there are 2 storage wagons that allow scenic elements to be lowered from above the stage on custom built hoists.
While the theatre can be used for more typical productions, it can also be transformed for productions that have spectacular water effects. At the centre of the theatre is a deep pool below the stage floor with an automated stage lift that can be raised a half meter above the stage floor or dropped 9 meters into the water, at this lower elevation there are 3 under water scenery storage garages.
The theatre is scheduled to open in Spring, 2021.
Photos by: Chong‐Art Photography
Copyright: SCA | Steven Chilton Architects 2020
Project Details
- Client: Sunac China Holdings Ltd.
- Architect: SCA|Steven Chilton Architects
- SCA Project Team: Steven Chilton, Roberto Monesi, Chuck Wang, Paula Isabella Saavedra Rosas, David Rieser, Natalie Dillon
- Architecture and Design Management: Sunac China Holdings Ltd.
- Auditorium Concept Design: Dragone
- Theatre Consultant: Auerbach Pollock Friedlander
- Local Design Institute: Beijing Institute of Architectural Design
- Concept Engineer: Buro Happold
- Artist: Zhang Hongfei
About SCA|Steven Chilton Architects
Established in 2015, SCA Steven Chilton Architects is a London based group of skilled practitioners connecting cultural insight and the creative use of technology. They work collaboratively to realize an unexpected architecture, that seeks to embrace, captivate and surprise.
