The construction of this building, one of the largest in the work of the architect (70,000 m2), has been going on on the banks of the Pearl River since 2005 and was supposed to be completed a little earlier, but this was prevented by a fire that happened in May 2009.
However, the theater has already given trial performances last year, and has now begun to operate on a regular basis. Its appearance in one of the most rapidly developing cities in China is more than understandable: despite the economic growth and favorable position (Guangzhou, former Canton, is located next to Hong Kong and other commercial centers, in the Pearl River Delta, by the sea), culturally, a metropolis lagged behind Shanghai and Beijing. The opera house, along with a library, museum and Children's Palace under construction nearby, will counterbalance skyscrapers in the "New City of Pearl", an area near the Pearl River, which is "designated" as the new business center of Guangzhou.
Designing the theater building, Zaha Hadid, in her own words, was inspired by images from the spheres of geology and topography. River valleys, which have acquired streamlined shapes over the centuries, and sometimes turned into huge canyons, in the theater building are reflected in narrow "gorges" between the two main volumes of the building - "boulders" - and between separate zones of the interior. Smooth outlines, curvilinear profiles of surfaces, overflow of volumes into each other can be considered both as imitation of the terrestrial relief, and as a common manifestation of the Hadid style.
Outside, dark gray concrete surfaces are combined with glazing, inside the building is dominated by white, but the main hall for 1800 spectators is designed in the tone of terracotta. It is complemented by a multifunctional hall with 400 seats for performances, concerts and small performances; rehearsal studios and other premises necessary for the theater are also provided.
N. F.
