The opera hall is one of three performance spaces within the Fuzhou Strait Culture and Arts Centre with 1,600 seats and an extensive use of beautiful Chinese ceramics, which have been used in many ways throughout the building. The ceramics are strongly and symbolically linked to the overall concept of the design, based on the Centre's location (by the Taiwan Strait), and are historically linked to the Maritime Silk Road trade route between China and the rest of the world.
The layout of the opera hall was inspired by the classical horseshoe shape with curved wall surfaces, enveloped in warm grey ceramic tiles and topped with 13 floral motifs to create the continuous 3000 m2 jasmine branch pattern.
Bamboo detailing - another traditionally Chinese material - was used to complement the ceramic interior. The bamboo seats and flooring are a supplement to the ceramics, as well as the railings and selected parts of the walls, which are adorned with CNC-cut solid bamboo.
Much like the Centre's concert hall, the auditorim of the opera hall was shaped to optimize acoustics and the coverage of early lateral reflections towards the audience. The convex and concave curvatures were combined to form the complex wall sculpture, acting as a large acoustic reflector and avoids any undesirable effects due to the curved shape. By integrating the two central stage lighting bridges, the ceiling reflector also functions as the main lighting element.
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PES-Architects who designed this project are an international architectural design firm who mainly operate in Finland and China, but have also carried out projects in the Gulf Region and in Russia. With 50 years of experience, they are "committed to continuing and expanding these partnerships to address challenges in design and to provide cross-disciplinary and creative solutions" to their clients.
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