Hall's project was recognized as the best in comparison with the variants of OMA and Zaha Hadid, who also participated in this closed competition. The complex with a total area of 186 thousand m2 will be located in Hongdao - a new district of Qingdao, designed for 700,000 residents.
The architect was inspired by the 42-kilometer Jiaozhou Bay Bridge connecting Qingdao with its industrial suburb of Huangdao - the world's longest bridge over water. Stephen Hall interpreted it as a "loop of light" - a "snake" of galleries wriggling around the territory of the Center. It is raised above the ground, which significantly increases the area of public space. The permeability of the glazing sections in its floors can be controlled up to complete darkening; with its width of 20 m, the rooms of the lower tier are also provided with natural light through the windows. On each of its floors, there are two halls side by side, which will avoid deadlocks. The "loop" will house expositions of museums of contemporary art and public art.
The Center also includes the "Islands of the Arts", or Ishudao - three cubes, one of which contains a museum of classical art (with a hotel on the upper levels), the other - cinema and theater halls.
In addition, the Hall has provided four "islets" with landscape design, serving as a garden of sculptures, and five ponds, the glass bottoms of which will illuminate the underground rooms. A large square will be located in the center of the complex.
The main materials are aluminum panels and tinted concrete, and the lower surface of the "loop of light" will be painted in bright colors typical for traditional Chinese architecture.
Among the environmental elements of the project are solar panels that will provide 80% of the electricity the Center needs, park reservoirs that filter gray water and 480 geothermal wells for cooling and heating the premises.
