The design of the Performing Arts Center takes inspiration from the long and narrow waterfront site. The base of the building is a low-slung, wave-like volume that provides a sense of rhythm and movement along the campus’s axis. The building’s delicately perforated façade refers back to ancient Chinese crafts like wood and ivory carving. This produces dramatic visual effects reflecting light shimmering on the bay. The structure’s scrim-like envelope adjusts transparency according to the spaces it encloses. Openings are present at the public lobbies and gathering areas, whereas theaters and rehearsal spaces become more opaque. This façade concept is rooted in traditional Chinese building screens and shadow walls. 

A tilted fly tower creates a point of orientation that highlights the center as the focal point of the complex. Sky bridges connect the tower to the main volume providing views of the bay. Gathering areas and elevated porticos line the base of the building, along with a restaurant that sits at the end of a sloping volume that extends into the plaza.

Upon entering the building, visitors move through a triple-height lobby. A grand curving staircase and billowing walls finished with wooden slats continue the undulating nature of the exteriors. Natural light from above penetrates the spaces through the perforated façade.