Located in China’s Jiangsu Province, the recently opened Wuxi Show Theater takes its design inspiration from the Sea of Bamboo Park in Yixing, China’s largest bamboo forest.
The 2000-seat theater is composed of three primary elements: the columns, the shade canopy, and the building envelope. The slender white columns are positioned around the perimeter of the building to provide a screen between the building facade and the surrounding landscape as well as create an abstract impression of a bamboo forest. The shade canopy, which wraps around the building’s perimeter at roof level, represents the canopy of leaves at the top of a bamboo forest. It comprises various triangular bays containing rows of gold anodized aluminum louvres.
See Also: BIG unveils Downtown Brooklyn Public Realm vision
Each bay is oriented randomly to create shade patterns that fall across the building envelope throughout the day and to heighten the sense of variation when viewed from different angles. Each bay of louvres is supported on a triangular lattice structure that braces the tops of the columns and transfers their load into the primary structure of the building. From an environmental standpoint, the shade canopy and columns help passively lower the cooling load on the building.
Finally, the building envelope is composed of rendered and painted block-work and curtain wall glazing. The glazing is the full height of the building in and above the entrance lobby to provide maximum views into and out of the main public areas. White and gold stripes travel the full height of the building to mimic the “bamboo” columns and continue the forest of bamboo effect.
The completed theater will house a permanent water show by Franco Dragone.
Related Stories
| Jan 2, 2015
Construction put in place enjoyed healthy gains in 2014
Construction consultant FMI foresees—with some caveats—continuing growth in the office, lodging, and manufacturing sectors. But funding uncertainties raise red flags in education and healthcare.
| Dec 28, 2014
AIA course: Enhancing interior comfort while improving overall building efficacy
Providing more comfortable conditions to building occupants has become a top priority in today’s interior designs. This course is worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW.
| Nov 26, 2014
USITT Selects Bahrain National Theatre for Honor Award
The Bahrain National Theatre will be recognized with an Honor Award by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) in 2015.
| Nov 18, 2014
Fan of the High Line? Check out NYC's next public park plan (hint: it floats)
Backed by billionaire Barry Diller, the $170 million "floating park" is planned for the Hudson River, and will contain wooded areas and three performance venues.
| Nov 17, 2014
'Folded facade' proposal wins cultural arts center competition in South Korea
The winning scheme by Seoul-based Designcamp Moonpark features a dramatic folded facade that takes visual cues from the landscape.
| Oct 23, 2014
China's 'weird' buildings: President Xi Jinping wants no more of them
During a literary symposium in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged architects, authors, actors, and other artists to produce work with "artistic and moral value."
| Oct 20, 2014
UK's best new building: Everyman Theatre wins RIBA Stirling Prize 2014
The new Everyman Theatre in Liverpool by Haworth Tompkins has won the coveted RIBA Stirling Prize 2014 for the best building of the year. Now in its 19th year, the RIBA Stirling Prize is the UK’s most prestigious architecture prize.
| Oct 16, 2014
Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials
The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
