Image: Hufton and Crow
Image: Christian Richters
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ocated in Guangzhou, China’s third largest city, this structure is an exciting new take on the oft-old fashioned opera house – and given its location in the heart of the cultural development district right alongside the Pearl River – likening the building to two pebbles in a soft stream is quite appropriate. Designed by Zaha Hadid – the well-known Iraqi-British designer known for designing the London Aquatics Centre among other things – Hadid has managed to capture her love for a modern futuristic aesthetic with the history and imagery of Chinese culture. It was something she said was vital to the project. “I first travelled to Guangzhou in 1981 – at the beginning of my career – and the contrast to the Guangzhou we see today could not be greater. The design of the Opera House reflects China’s rich cultural history but also the remarkable future China will play on a worldwide stage. “In Chinese culture, certain analogical thinking makes sense and the idea of pebbles and rocks on the banks of a stream is actually very meaningful for a project located next to the Pearl River. As designers, this is more of a technique for us to articulate the relationship of an object within a landscape.” This analogy of natural landscape being expressed through architecture is all too clear to see. The entrance to the 70,000-square-metre building is met by a long