A cultural space described as "a new public gateway" has been proposed for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and will bring an "endless ripple of water" to a lakeside park.
Designed by MAD Architects, the Nanhai Art Center will link a grand theater, museum, and sports center with an undulating sun canopy that will feature public spaces around it.
MAD Architects @madarchitects_ imagines Nanhai Art Center Like "a continuous wave of water" in Foshan City: https://t.co/Fpc9pBEH9v #architecture #china pic.twitter.com/kKKpns0XpP
— World Architecture (@WACommunity) January 5, 2024
Construction is planned to begin this year and be completed in 2029, and the finished cultural hub is intended to encourage community engagement, according to Designboom.
"The local culture of Southern Guangdong is always about the gathering of people," lead architect Ma Yansong said, per ArchDaily. "To keep the same lifestyle, it has to be contributed by the contemporary cultural venues."
The theater will boast a 1,500-seat main auditorium and a 600-seat multipurpose hall, while the soon-to-be-constructed national museum will feature exhibits showcasing the area and curiosities from around the world to encourage education. Finally, the sports center will deliver leisure and recreation facilities for the benefit of local residents.
The stunning venue will also have green principles in mind, with it set to feature solar power generation, rainwater collection, and "vertical greening systems."
"The large overhangs of traditional southern Guangdong architecture and the gray space that provides shade, rain, and ventilation are all sources of inspiration for the art center," Yansong said, per Designboom. "The architectural space suitable for the natural climate and the application of new green technologies are trying to explore a model of contemporary Lingnan architecture."
It's an innovative and stunning way to link the surrounding environment of the lake and in front of the backdrop of the city skyline.
As part of the community engagement and education goals of the development, the value of plants and green spaces will be a focus. Concept images show an interior garden, which should help connect the venue to the outdoor space.
Those plants will also help to improve interior air quality, sucking in pollutants while expelling oxygen.
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