The studio of Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas has won the international competition for the first cultural center in the city of Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province which was hit hard by a terrible earthquake in 2008.
Project Description from Studio Fuksas:
Studio Fuksas has other projects still going on in China and precisely in Shenzhen: the Guosen Tower and the Terminal 3 of the Bao'an International Airport that will be completed by next summer. Besides these projects, Studio FUKSAS is preparing to realize this new one in the People’s Republic of China whose worth is 1 billion and 200 million yuan (150 million euro). The cultural complex consists of four buildings of elliptical shape with a spiral structure. The design concept is inspired by ancient symbol of the city of Chengdu (a circle with a sun with rays spiral) and demonstrates the willingness of the Chinese community to look at the future, focusing on art and culture.
The project of Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas was conceived as a symphony of architectural volumes, creating the effect of a music that you can listen to with your eyes. On a total area of about 110,000 square meters, the elliptical shape of each building gives the impression of a perpetual motion and continuous vibration. The surface of the facade is a continuous ribbon coated with a metal skin with openings geometric design that allow natural light to enter the interior of the four volumes.
The complex is made up of a center for the performing arts that houses two theaters for a total of 1800 seats and a music hall (600 seats), a cultural center that includes a theater with 2600-3000 seats and an exhibition gallery, offices Writer and Literary Association, an apartment building for artists. All surrounded by green gardens that evoke the eastern hills of Sichuan, with their colorful vegetation. The construction should start early 2013, reflecting the dynamism and desire to grow of the big community of Chengdu, which is the fifth most populous city in China.
