beijing performing arts centre rises from broad plinth like parting theater curtains

Beijing Performing Arts Centre joins three world-class venues

China welcomes the Beijing Performing Arts Centre, a new cultural complex in the historic Tongzhou port on the Grand Canal and the eastern gateway to the city. Designed by Perkins&Will’s and Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s combined Shanghai studio with a landscape by SLA, the project anchors Tongzhou’s recently designated cultural district, a collection of major civic projects that also includes a museum, a library, and extensive parklands. Consisting of three world-class venues—an opera house, a theater, and a concert hall—as well as a multipurpose hall and an outdoor stage, the aluminum-clad complex will host hundreds of performances each year—everything from traditional Chinese and Western operas to orchestral performances, stage dramas, and dances.

all images © Zhu Yumeng

a container-inspired design with a theatrical stroke

The Beijing Performing Arts Centre is designed to cultivate community while promoting the health and well-being of visitors and the environment. It embodies the site’s storied history and bright future in a subtle poetic expression. As such, the team at Perkins&Will and designers at Schmidt Hammer Lassen conceived the building as lanterns while recalling Tongzhou’s importance as a commercial shipping and storage hub by referencing the rooflines of the storehouses that formerly lined the canal’s banks and the sails of traditional canal boats. ‘We have always referred to this project as the containers for culture,’ shares P&W lead architect, Chris Hardie.

Beijing Performing Arts Centre by Perkins&Will and Schmidt Hammer Lassen

The forms simultaneously evoke a theater curtain parting at the beginning of a performance. A broad plinth, accessed from all directions by splayed steps and ramps, unifies the complex. This elevated platform extends the buildings’ lobbies into the surrounding forested park, setting up the relationship between the interiors, the landscape, and the Grand Canal. ‘Although each building’s design serves a specific function, their forms are complementary,’ notes project director Chao Chen, adding that the opera house’s interior, for instance, is shaped for optimal acoustics. ‘They work together to achieve this pleasing suggestion of lanterns at the water’s edge.’

Constructed in sections since the 5th century B.C., the 2,000-kilometer-long Grand Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It connects Beijing to South China and has been vital to the nation’s culture and economy for millennia. The Tongzhou District of Beijing has long been an important point of trade along the canal; as goods arrived in Tongzhou from the south, they were sorted and stored in warehouses until needed in Beijing. In a regional reversal, the Beijing Performing Arts Center will now draw residents and visitors from the city to the canal. 

the forms evoke a theater curtain parting at the beginning of a show

perkins&will and Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s green design

Beyond the historical value, the project incorporates sustainable features to promote human and ecosystem health, earning the project a China Three Star rating for environmental performance. The high-performance building envelope, shaded by a perforated aluminum screen, conserves 20% more energy than the local code requires. The buildings plug into a district energy system primarily powered by ground-source heat pumps, achieving a 60% renewable energy use rate. Meanwhile, the HVAC system’s filtration system combined with carbon dioxide sensors in public areas ensures high indoor air quality. 

the high-performance building envelope is shaded by a perforated aluminum screen

Additionally, low-flow fixtures conserve water throughout the buildings; rainwater gardens and permeable pavements create a porous, sponge-like landscape that absorbs and retains stormwater on-site, reducing the chance of flooding; landscape irrigation, road and garage cleaning, and toilet flushing all use 100% reclaimed municipal greywater, further reducing the consumption of water resources. Lastly, a dedicated metro station below the park and ramps and stairs at ground level facilitate public access. The underground level also includes parking, retail, and a food and beverage complex with sunken gardens. The plinth is always open as part of the park, providing visitors with inspiring views of Tongzhou and the Grand Canal.

the project incorporates sustainable features to promote human and ecosystem health

lobby area

HVAC filtration system with carbon dioxide sensors in public areas ensures high indoor air quality

opera house

opera house detail view

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project info:

name: Beijing Performing Arts Center

architects: Schmidt Hammer Lassen | @shlarchitects, Perkins&Will | @perkinswill

location: Tongzhou, Beijing, China

principal-in-charge: Chris Hardie, James Lu
lead architect: Chris Hardie, Rong Lu, Chao Chen
design team: Simon Persson, Steven Yingnien Chen, Anna Nilson, Tim Kunkel, Han Lin, Bartek Winnicki, Li Wen, Chencheng Li, Xiaoshu He, Fangzhou Zhu, Trushit Vyas, Thomas Grannells, Lukasz Trucahlski

client: China National Centre for the Performing Arts

agent construction company: Beijing Investment Group Co., Ltd

local design institute: Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co.,Ltd. (BIAD)
landscape schematic designer: SLA | @sla_architects
structure schematic designer: Schlaich Bergermann Partner
façad schematic designer: Inhabit Group
theater consultant: Theatre Projects; Michel Cova Consultant
acoustic consultant: Kahle Acoustics srl.; East China Architectural Design & Research Institute

stage engineering: China Radio Film & Television Design and Research Institute
curtain wall consultant: Shenzhen OEC Facade Technology Co., Ltd
lighting designer: Gala Lighting Design Studio
interior designer: BIAD Decoration Engineering & Design Co., Ltd
landscape designer: Beijing Yuanben Shanchuan Technology Co., Ltd
contractor: Beijing Construction Engineering Group
photographer: Zhu Yumeng | @yumeng_zhu_coppakstudio

start date: December 2017 (international competition)

completion date: October 2023 (construction completion)

GFA: 125,350 sqm, 82,700 sqm (above ground), 42,650 sqm (underground)

site area: 122,398 sqm
programs: 1800-seat opera house, 1500-seat concert hall, 1050-seat theater,
750-seat multipurpose hall, 850-seat outdoor theater, rehearsal rooms, conference room, etc.