HENGQIN CULTURE & ART COMPLEX, CHINA, PROJECT: YUNCHAO XU/ATELIER APEIRON
A major cultural and art complex covering an area of more than 140,000 square metres has opened on the island of Hengqin, not far from Hong Kong and Macao, which is currently one of China's fastest-growing locations. The complex is designed to be a landmark for this new community.
The project, winner of a competition launched in 2018,
was designed by Atelier Apeiron, a particularly dynamic international firm
founded a decade ago by Yunchao Xu (1979), who graduated from Southwest
Jiaotong University and then Columbia University in New York before gaining
work experience at OMA in New York and Rotterdam.
Surrounded by residential towers and an inner-city
park, the project encompasses nine buildings including a library, archives
centre, concert hall, cultural centre, art gallery, science museum, children's
activities centre, centre for senior citizens' activities and a youth centre.
Apeiron worked on the concept of “voids”, creating a
porous structure blending neatly into its high-density urban setting. The main public space on the lower floor
consists of three gigantic arched openings covered with wood and bamboo panels
to create a transparent window and large open space for urban life.
During the day, people can enjoy a view of the park outside the building. At night, the three transparent arched halls give off soft light and provide a backdrop for various public events held in the park.
Each arch has its own unique character and special
feel corresponding to three separate halls, the Knowledge Hall, Performance
Hall and Exhibition Hall, which can be enjoyed either as on seamless whole or
as parallel realms. The roof over the complex features garden terraces
projecting onto the city that overlap the main urban structure and can be used
for hosting community events. Extending from a hill in the north to a river in
the south, the catenary curve formed by Hengqin Cultural and Art Complex has
created a new landmark on the island's skyline.
Client: Zhuhai Gree Construction Investment Co, Architecture Firm: Yunchao Xu/Atelier Apeiron, Lead Architect: Yunchao Xu, Designers/Architects team: Jiachuan Qi, Hongrui Liu, Kan Gao, Guohong Li, Zhendong Shi, Jianxuan Chen, Shengjie Zhang, Kun Qian, Kai Liao, Zheng Xu, Zhen Shen, Technical Designer CAD: SZAD, Contractors: Zhuhai Gree Construction Investment Co, Constructors: Zhuhai Jianan Group Co, Engineers: SZAD, Interior Designers collaborators: Ruan Bin Design, Landscape architects: GVL Green View Landscape Group, Lighting consultant: GD Lightning, Acoustics Consultants: Zhongfutai Architecture Construction Co., Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning: SZAD
