ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
BEIJING PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
SCHMIDT HAMMER LASSEN + PERKINS & WILL
China has opened a new performing arts complex in Tongzhou , a historic port on the Grand Canal and the eastern gateway to Beijing . Designed by Perkins & Will ’ s and Schmidt Hammer Lassen ’ s combined Shanghai studio with a landscape by SLA , the Beijing Performing Arts Centre 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 Beijing Performing Arts Centre will host hundreds of performances each year — everything from traditional Chinese and Western operas to orchestral performances , stage dramas , and dances . “ We have always referred to this project as the containers for culture ,” says chief architect , Chris Hardie . “ Inspired by the storehouses that once held materials and food for transport into Beijing , we now create storehouses for local and global culture , a focal point for Beijing ’ s dedication to the arts .” Designed to cultivate community while promoting the health and well-being of visitors and the environment , the project embodies the site ’ s storied history and its bright future in a subtle poetic expression . Conceived as lanterns for the performing arts , the buildings recall 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 .
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