In Mumbai, India, the recently completed Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) will showcase music, theater, and fine arts from India and from across the globe. Atlanta’s TVS Design served as the principal architect and interior designer of both the cultural center and the larger, adjacent Jio World Centre, a 1.1 million-sf, 18.5-acre business, commerce, and cultural development that has been opening in phases since last year.
NMACC includes three performing arts spaces:
- 2,000-seat Grand Theatre, modeled after the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and featuring 18 boxes with private lounges and dedicated food and beverage services
- 250-seat Studio Theatre, with a telescopic seating system for easy transformation and artistic flexibility
- 125-seat Cube, with a moveable stage and seating
The Grand Theatre’s ceiling boasts 8,400 Swarovski crystals that can each be programmed and illuminated with a special lighting system. The ceiling conceals the technical catwalks and theatrical lighting. The Grand Theatre also features elements from expert craftsmen around the world—including mosaic tiles from Italy, jaali screens from Dubai, sound-absorbing walnut wood from Greece, millwork from Muscat, fabric from Germany, wall coverings from Belgium, and walnut-clad seating from Italy.
In addition, a four-story visual arts space, the Art House, will house public art exhibits and installations. Dining options include a concession area, a cafe, and a restaurant.
The design team conceived the interior design of the entire development—the cultural center, convention center, offices, retail, and residential—to resemble a traditional Indian necklace. Each component represents a detailed jeweled element, with the theater as the pendant. The design vocabulary draws its primary inspiration from India’s national flower, the lotus. In the lotus-inspired Fountain of Joy, fountain performances combine water, light, and sound.
On the Building Team:
Owner/developer: Reliance Industries Limited
Design architect and architect of record: TVS Design
MEP engineer: AECOM
Structural engineer: Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Acoustician: BAI
Lighting designer: Lighting Design Alliance
General contractor: Samsung
Related Stories
| Oct 3, 2022
The College of the Holy Cross completes a $110 million performing arts center
In Worcester, Mass., a one-hour drive from Boston, the College of the Holy Cross has completed its $110 million Prior Performing Arts Center.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 90 Construction Management Firms for 2022
CBRE, Alfa Tech, Jacobs, and Hill International head the rankings of the nation's largest construction management (as agent) and program/project management firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Performing Arts Centers | Jul 5, 2022
Tour the new Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Oregon
This month, the community of Beaverton, Oregon, welcomed a new haven for artistic expression with the opening of Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (The Reser).
Performing Arts Centers | May 10, 2022
A historic performance space is transformed to reinforce a campus’ Arts District
Connecticut College’s Athey Center for Performance and Research at Palmer Auditorium balances the old and new.
Building Team | May 9, 2022
Cincinnati’s Andrew J Brady Music Center transforms the city’s riverfront
In Cincinnati, Ohio, the Andrew J Brady Music Center aims to connect audiences with live music while transforming Cincinnati’s riverfront.
Performing Arts Centers | Mar 8, 2022
Cincinnati Ballet’s new center embodies the idea that dance is for everyone
Cincinnati Ballet had become a victim of its own success, according to company president and CEO Scott Altman. “We were bursting at the seams in our old building. We had simply outgrown the facility,” Altman told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2022
On-campus performing arts centers and museums can be talent magnets for universities
Cultural facilities are changing the way prospective students and parents view higher education campuses.
Giants 400 | Nov 19, 2021
2021 Cultural Facilities Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. cultural facilities sector
Gensler, AECOM, Buro Happold, and Arup top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Performing Arts Centers | Nov 7, 2021
A cultural and business center that’s a hub for a company and—maybe—a city
Capital One Hall had been in the works for two decades.