Structure, Material & Form

Guangzhou Opera House

Structure, Material & Form
Guangzhou Opera House
Zaha Hadids design won the first prize and was
confirmed as the practical one which will become
an icon for the Guangzhou City and even
accelerate the urbanization of new developing
downtown.

Key Features:
The third biggest opera architecture in China.
One opera hall (includes main stage, side stage,
and back stage) 1,800 seats.
One multiple-purpose hall with 400 seats.
Foyer, art gallery, restaurant, garage.
70,000 square meters (30,000 square meters
underground).
Total construction investment of 200 million
dollars
Design Review:
Create a new focal point in Guangzhou city.
Located downstream of Peal River.
Its unique twin boulder design enhances urban
function with open access to the riverside and
dock areas.
Create a new dialogue with the emerging new
town.
The sheltered area formed in its intersection has
been designed to accommodate outdoor
activities to complement its primary role as a
world stage for the performing art
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Structure, Material & Form
Guangzhou Opera House
The structure was designed by the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, its independent auditorium,
of concrete, located within a bold exposed granite and glass, coated with a steel frame,
needed over five years to build, and was praised following its initiation architecture critic
Jonathan Glancey in the Guardian, who defined as "both, highly theatrical and insistently
subtle".
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Structure, Material & Form
Guangzhou Opera House
Architect Zaha Hadid gave shape to this structure so that
resembled two stones on the bank of Pearl River. The
design of the Opera House is a unique exploration of
contextual urban relationships Zaha Hadid Architects,
combining the cultural traditions that have shaped the
history of Guangzhou, with the ambition and optimism
that will create its future.
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Structure, Material & Form
Guangzhou Opera House
The design evolved from the concepts of a natural
landscape and the fascinating interplay between
architecture and nature, agreeing with the principles of
erosion, geology and topography. The design of the
Guangzhou Opera has been particularly influenced by
river valleys and how they are transformed by erosion.

Fold lines in this landscape define territories and zones
within the Opera House, both inside and outside
dramatic canyons for circulation, lobbies and cafes are
created, allowing natural light to penetrate deep into
the building. Smooth transitions between disparate
elements and different levels continue this landscape
analogy.

The larger boulder, clad in charcoal- coloured, rough-
textured granite, houses the opera house while the white
granite-clad smaller boulder houses the multipurpose,
black box hall. Outside, one gazes up through a canyon
between the two buildings; inside, the airy lobbies,
staircases and undulating walls evoke flowing riverbeds;
swooping angles suck the visitor in like a current.
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Structure, Material & Form
Guangzhou Opera House
ENVELOPE SYSTEM
The envelope system is of rigid frame structure for both
the structures:
Opera Hall
Multi-Purpose Hall
Both of them are the integrative Rigid Frame Structure
of slabs and curtain walls.
Deep steel trusses supporting roof, envelope and
ancillary equipments.
Asymmetric Horizontal Forces due to radical ribs to be
transformed to the ground via auditorium walls.
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Structure, Material & Form
Guangzhou Opera House
Hadid has also created a public park
around the performance complex. You
approach the main entry plaza up a
ramp or grand staircase, past the
smaller multipurpose hall; a second
ramp spirals down to a smaller plaza
and reflective pool, which offers shelter
from Guangzhous hot and wet seasons.
Escalators descend from both hall
lobbies to this under-plaza, where
ticketing, cafes and shops, including
opera retail, are found.
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Structure, Material & Form
Guangzhou Opera House
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Structure, Material & Form
Guangzhou Opera House