zhuhai jinwan civic art centre by zaha hadid architects takes shape in china

construction work is progressing in china at the site of the ‘zhuhai jinwan civic art centre’ — a major new cultural venue designed by zaha hadid architects (ZHA). the project involves the integration of four distinct institutions: a 1,200-seat grand theater; a 500-seat multi-functional hall, a science center; and an art museum. arranged symmetrically, the venues are connected by a central plaza that serves as a shared external foyer surrounded by glazed walls that promote transparency and a sense of openness.

image by minmud (also main image)

designed as a hub of contemporary creativity, the project is located at the heart of jinwan district’s western ecological new town where the new zhuhai airport intercity railway provides direct connections with zhuhai’s city center — as well as the metropolises of guangzhou, shenzhen, macau, and hong kong. the center’s distinctive roof structure unites the different venues under a network of reticulated shells soaring above the four buildings.

image by minmud

‘echoing the chevron patterns of migratory birds flying in formation over southern china, the latticed steel canopies over each venue are configured through repetition, symmetry and scale variation; resulting in a composition of related elements that respond to the different functional requirements of each building,’ ZHA explains. ‘every building-module of the roof is self-supporting and self-stabilizing. the repetition of the modules optimizes pre-fabrication, pre-assembly and the use of modular construction.’

image by slashcube

meanwhile, the public plaza is defined by interconnecting bridges and voids that present views across the site. ramps invite visitors to the rooftop piazza where footbridges and stairs connect through a central void to each venue. elsewhere, an external amphitheater on the west side of the center allows for outdoor performances and activities. the design optimizes natural light in all public areas and enhances connectivity — creating engaging civic spaces for people to enjoy throughout the day.

image by methanoia

the architects say that the project’s landscaping and surrounding lake are designed as integral elements within zhuhai’s ‘sponge city’ initiative that targets the natural permeation, storage, and re-use of at least 70% of the city’s rainwater — using aquatic flora and fauna to naturally filter contaminants. in addition, humidity and soil-moisture sensors within the irrigation system will control and reduce water consumption.

image by methanoia

optimized for thermal performance, the double-insulated glazing of the building’s envelope is protected by the latticed roof canopy which incorporates perforated aluminum panels to provide external solar shading. the perforations within the panels vary in size to allow differing degrees of sunlight within the interior spaces in accordance to their programming requirements, solar gain, and orientation.

energy consumption and indoor air quality monitoring systems will automatically adjust interior environments for optimal comfort and energy reduction, while waste heat recovery will be used to meet hot water demand with water-saving appliances connected to the project’s water recycling system. as of february 2021, the steel structure of the lattice roof canopy has been installed over two of the center’s four cultural venues.

the project under construction

the steel structure has been installed over two of the centre’s four cultural venues

project info:

name: zhuhai jinwan civic art centre
location: zhuhai, china
architect: zaha hadid architects
design: zaha hadid and patrik schumacher
project directors: satoshi ohashi, charles walker
project senior associate: lydia kim
project architects: mei-ling lin, aurora santana (SD)
package leads: mei-ling lin, elena scripelliti
project team: armando bussey, marius cernica, grace chung, nelli denisova, xuexin duan, kaloyan erevinov, nassim eshaghi, kate hunter, yang jingwen, reza karimi, ben kikkawa, lydia kim, julian lin, mei-ling lin, valeria mazzilli, sareh mirseyed nazari, massimo napoleoni, yevgeniya pozigun, cao qi, qiuyu zhao, aurora santana, hannes schafelner, michael sims, patrik schumacher, sharan sundar, maria touloupou, chao wei, charles walker
competition team: armando bussey, clara martins, cristiano ceccato, charles walker, ed gaskin, filippo nassetti, jinqi huang, juan liu, lydia kim, julian lin, satoshi ohashi, paulo flores, harry spraiter, patrick schumacher, houzhe xu, simon yu
LDI: beijing institute of architecture & design south china centre

consultants —
landscape consultant: beijing institute of architecture & design (south china centre)
acoustic consultant: east china architectural design & research institute (acoustic & theatre special design & research division)
façade consultant: zhuhai city honghai curtain wall
interior consultant: shenzhen Z&F culture construction
amplify consultant: radio, film & TV design and research institute
signage consultant: W&T design
lighting consultant: shenzhen global lighting technology
theater consultant: shanghai DeYi engineering technology
BIM consultant: beijing BIMtechnologie
green building consultant: guangdong JORJUN green building technology