A new performing arts complex designed by Perkins&Will, in partnership with Schmidt Hammer Lassen, has opened in Beijing. Located in the city’s southeast district, Tongzhou, the Beijing Performing Arts Center sits along the banks of the Grand Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, anchoring a recently designated cultural district, which also includes a museum, a library, and extensive parklands.
The roughly 1.3 million-square-foot complex comprises an opera house, a theater, and a concert hall, along with a multipurpose hall and an outdoor stage.
Image: Zhu Yumeng
Image: Zhu Yumeng
Its design recalls the site’s history as a commercial shipping and storage hub by referencing the rooflines of the storehouses that formerly populated the area and the sails of traditional canal boats. The forms also evoke a theater curtain parting at the start of a performance.
The Center’s structures are unified through a broad, elevated platform that can be accessed from all directions by splayed steps and ramps. This pedestal also extends the buildings’ lobbies into a surrounding forested park.
The project incorporates a range of sustainable features that promote human and ecosystem health, which has earned it a China Three Star rating for environmental performance. The building envelope, which is shaded by a perforated aluminum screen, conserves 20% more energy than required by local code. The buildings connect to a district energy system that is mainly powered by ground-source heat pumps, resulting in a 60% energy use rate.
Image: Zhu Yumeng
The HVAC system’s filtration system combined with carbon dioxide sensors in public areas ensure high indoor air quality. In addition, low-flow fixtures conserve water throughout the buildings, and rainwater gardens and permeable pavements absorb and retain stormwater, which reduces the chance of flooding.
Consumption of water resources is reduced through the use of 100% reclaimed municipal greywater for landscape irrigation, road and garage cleaning, and toilet flushing.
A dedicated metro station is featured below the site. The underground level also includes parking, retail, and a food and beverage complex interspersed with sunken gardens.
4 Comments
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For contrast, compare with Lincoln Center.
One is urban, the other in a green field
The "pleating" is quite beautiful.
Beautiful work from a new corporate. Pen and ink dried up, or something
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