PROJECT DESCRIPTION / STORYTELLING

Ha Long bay is a stunning place where the magnificence of the landscape meet the myth of the dragon and the legend of Vietnamese culture. This is where the theater project is located, floating above the sea.

The site for this project is located in Ha Long city and has been chosen specially to develop an outdoor permanent show which use the natural landscape as a background, it is why the theatre has been positioned above the sea level, facing a unique disposition of the natural and offers a ground breaking panorama for the audience.

SLA Designers developed the architecture of the theater as a floating skin which refers to a multitude of references, according to the visitors’ perception, by day time or night time. Successively the theater appears as a shell on the rock, a part of the dragon body, the sails of the traditional boat, and so on…

One of the main constraint for this project is about audience circulation and security, as two shows will be run every day, total audience on site can reach 2 600 people seating, plus 2 600 waiting for next show. Due to the position above the sea this situation required particular attention to crowd safety and audience flux in the theater. We solved it with a double bridges system for an in and out smooth circulation.

The tensile membrane roof is another big challenge of this project. It has been design with parametric software supports in order to consider the multitude of data constraints: Wind, rain, important span, theater equipment load, sight lines, and of course aesthetic.

DETAILED INFORMATION

THEATER DESIGN

To develop this project, SLA designers worked closely with the show director and theater technicians’ team. Considering the scale of the show and the multitudes of constraints due to this unique water show above the sea, SLA designers had to develop specific and detailed architectural programming adapted to the security and show requests.

This project is developed in accordance with the show's contents, and integrated a multitude of specific installations and equipment to serve the show. The stage is a pool equivalent to an Olympic swimming pool in terms of water volume, it will allow multiple effects and performance types. There is also a monumental décor lift and real size boat sails used as video projection supports. The back stage has been carefully study to be adapted to the requests of the show: 200 performers, 150 technicians and show supports, real boats on stage, aerial performance, etc….