The new building will appear in the Expo-Houtan Exemplary Eco-District, on the site of the 2010 World Expo complex. Hjetil Thorsen, co-founder of Snøhetta, calls his Shanghai facility “the culmination of experience and knowledge gained from the design of opera houses” in Oslo, Busan, etc., related to the idea of “public ownership” of the building. Thus, its roof also plays the role of a public space accessible to all around the clock, suitable also for arranging concerts and similar events.
The roof unfolds like a fan - a reference to the dance theme - in a spiral, a spiral staircase with views of the city and the Huangpu River is planned, the same scheme is read in the layout of the lobby, passages and three halls. The Snøhetta bureau was engaged in the theater's identity - with a spiral logo, and landscape design: park alleys spreading like a fan lead from the theater.
The theater is designed to host Western operas and traditional Chinese musical dramas, classical music concerts and a wider variety of performances designed to appeal to a younger audience. The main hall for 2000 seats is supplemented by a small one, for 1200 spectators, and a "transformer" for 1000 people.
The white facades contrast with the silk and oak wood used for the interior decoration, which in the main hall has received a dark red tone.
