GMP win architecture competition to design Chinese opera house and arts complex
by Kim Megson | 23 May 2016
German architecture studio von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (GMP) have won an international competition to design an Urban Concert Hall in the Chinese city of Chengdu.
The firm’s vision for the project was chosen by city officials ahead of competing entries from Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid Architects, Nikken Sekkei and Aedas.
They will now set to work completing a final design for the building, which will have opera and concert halls and an art hotel.
Chengdu’s narrow, zigzagging lanes inspired the motif for GMP’s design. Their Urban Concert Hall will be formed of several sculptural volumes gathered on a shared grey stone podium, which settles into the neighbourhood “like a piece of a puzzle”, while tight public pathways will wind through the site.
The two halls, which will have 1,600 and 1,000 seats respectively, will be clad in a copper and gold coloured web; colours found across public buildings in the region.
An art training centre, art gallery and the hotel will occupy smaller buildings in the same grey stone material as the podium, creating a continuation with the surrounding neighbourhood.
The complex – which will cover a total floor area of 142,250sq m (1.5m sq ft) – will also feature an open air auditorium and a locally-inspired tea house.
The Urban Concert Hall will be located opposite Sichuan University to the south-east of the city centre, adjacent to the the Sichuan Conservatory of Music.
“The offset arrangement of our building volumes generates a network of narrow and wider spaces around this central City Music Plaza,” said GMP in a statement. “The ensemble creates a public area which, with its diverse spaces and amenities, invites the public to stay a while.”
The project marks GMP’s latest high-profile commission in China. The studio are also working on a multi-functional sports complex in Sizhou and a museum and cultural hub in Guangzhou.
GMP architecture competition Chengdu Urban Concert Hall design China
GMP will use colour, material and layout to fill the Urban Concert Hall with local motifs and references Credit: GMP
Urban Concert Hall will be formed of several sculptural volumes, which settle into the neighbourhood 'like a piece of a puzzle' Credit: GMP
The opera hall will have a capacity for 1,600 people Credit: GMP
The exteriors of the halls will be copper and red, with a gold coloured web surrounding them Credit: GMP
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German architecture studio von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (GMP) have won an international competition to design an Urban Concert Hall in the Chinese city of Chengdu. The firm’s vision for the project was chosen by city officials ahead of competing entries from Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid Architects, Nikken Sekkei and Aedas. They will now set to work completing a final design for the building, which will have opera and concert
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