Zaha Hadid's Guangzhou Opera House in China
Overlooking the Pearl River the Guangzhou Opera House is at the heart of Guangzhou’s cultural sites development. Adopting state of the art technology in its design and construction it will be a lasting monument to the New Millennium, confirming Guangzhou as one of Asia’s cultural centres. Its unique twin boulder design will enhance urban function by opening access to the riverside and dock areas and creating a new dialogue with the emerging new town.
The structure rises and falls at the foot of Zhujiang Boulevard, bringing together the two adjacent sites for the proposed Museum and Metropolitan Activities. As an adjunct to the Haixinsha Tourist Park Island, the Opera House presents a contoured profile to provide a large riverside focus to visitors.
When viewed from the park at the centre of the Zhujiang Boulevard, the Opera House creates a visual prelude to the Tourist Park Island beyond. When viewed from the river, the towers of Zhujiang New Town provide a dramatic back-drop to the Opera House and give a unified vision of civic and cultural buildings on a riverside setting.
An internal street, an approach promenade, is cut into the landscape, beginning at the proposed Museum site at the opposite side of the central boulevard, leading to the Opera House. Cafe, bar, restaurant and retail facilities which are embedded shell-like into these landforms are located to one side of the approach promenade.
Visitors arriving by car or bus are deposited at a "drop-off" on the north side of the site on Huajiu Road. Service vehicles access the Opera House and Theatre Buildings at either end of the Huajiu Road. VIP access to the Opera House is from the western boundary facing Huaxia Road.
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