Zaha Hadid, who was deprived of her chance to build an opera house at Cardiff in 1994 is now designing this exciting complex for the city of Guangzhou in Southern China. Located next to the Pearl River, the organic ‘boulder’ form is apparently inspired by river pebbles. The sculptural building will be set in an adjunct to the Haixinsha Tourist Park against the dramatic backdrop of the Zhujiang new-town skyline (including the two towers seen here designed by UK architects Wilkinson Eyre.)