stufish wraps chimelong theater in a colorful undulating façade in china

located in zhuhai, china, stufish entertainment architects has completed the design of the chimelong theater and chimelong circus show theater. the project has been conceived to replace the former event space that was devastated by a typhoon in 2016 and opened recently on july 26, 2019 to 6,700 visitors. the new building, which resembles the unmistakable shape of a traditional circus tent, creates a fun, vibrant landmark on hengqin island.

all images © chimelong

from the outside, the theater is characterized by the undulating façade that curves around the huge volume. clad in bright colors, the exterior also lights up at night, announcing itself as a beacon for entertainment while large screens give visitors a glimpse of the show inside. the area surrounding stufish‘s new intervention has also been carefully designed. a large entrance on ground level invites people inside and large staircases and ramps take them to the upper level.

the scheme has been meticulously planned by stufish to allow for the maximum number of shows per day. with this in mind, visitors enter into the ground level then exit via the first floor to allow for seamless changeovers and therefore increased efficiency of the building. inside, the seating of the theater is planned in two sections, separated by a ‘parade route’ that allows set pieces to be moved on or off stage when necessary. 

the design also incorporates vital safety features. for example, considering the large capacity of the theater, a number of fire exit staiwells are required. rather than simply adding them onto the building, stufish cleverly wraps the stair cores into the design, helping to form the overall architectural expression of that dynamically curved façade. 

project info:

project name: the chimelong theatre + chimelong circus show theatre

location: chimelong, zhuhai, china

architect: stufish entertainment architects

year: 2019