PES-Architects complete hybrid entertainment complex in China

Construction has finished on The Fuzhou Strait Culture and Art Centre, marking the completion of PES-Architects seventh project in China. The centre is typical of current Chinese cultural buildings, in which commercial and family-oriented entertainment services exist alongside the core arts facilities. The designers took inspiration from the local area for a central concept to unite these disparate elements, with the arrangement of the buildings based on petals from a jasmine blossom, the Fuzhou city flower. The five venues representing the petals include a 1600-seat opera house, a 1000-seat concert hall, a multi-functional theatre, an art exhibition hall and a cinema centre, all linked by a cultural concourse and a large roof terrace. 

The construction materials reference local traditions, with an emphasis on the use of ceramics as a nod to its significance in the historic Silk Road trade connection between China and the rest of the world. PES-Architects worked with Taiwanese ceramic artist Samuel Hsuan-yu Shih to design the interiors of the two main auditoria. An engraved panel and a mosaic tile panel were developed, both adaptable to the topographical surfaces required to achieve high quality acoustics and match the visual language of the design. The multi-purpose hall is clad with bamboo, another traditional material, shaped in blocks according to acoustic needs. 

The Fuzhou Government planned the Arts Centre with the goal of strengthening the cultural image of the city and the Mawei New Town development area, while linking cities and communities along and over the Taiwan Strait. PES-Architects also established connections on a more localised scale. The roof terrace is accessible via two ramps from the Jasmine Gardens and central plaza, completing a path to the Minjiang riverfront. On the underground level, a promenade-like route connects the landscape to the interiors, as well as providing access to the metro station.

Lucy Nordberg
TenderStream Head of Research

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