The cultural center, which will include two theaters, a concert hall, an art gallery and an administration building with apartments for artists, is planned to be built in a new district of Tianfu, designed as a green energy-efficient oasis of the metropolis. The total area of the complex will be 110 thousand square meters, and its cost is estimated at 140 million euros.
Occupying an almost triangular block, the new complex will consist of four buildings, in terms of which are ovals of different configurations. The architects fill the space between them, as well as the outer perimeter of the quarter, with greenery as much as possible, and subordinate the architecture of the volumes themselves to the idea of endless movement.
The facades of each building are a wide snow-white ribbon, twisted into a spiral in such a way that the outer wall "goes" into the building and becomes part of its interior. As conceived by the architects, this form not only makes the new complex related to the ancient symbol of Chengdu (the solar circle, whose rays are twisted in a spiral), but also demonstrates the indomitable will to live and create the city destroyed by the earthquake. For the same reason, Fuksas chose white - the most life-affirming of all. And the generous perforation of the "tape", as conceived by the author, will not only provide the interior of buildings with daylight, but also turn the facades into a score of a piece of music that any visitor can read and "hear".
The construction of the cultural center is planned to begin in 2013.
A. M.
