Wuhan Theatre and Art Centre  

Wuhan Theatre and Art Centre is a multipurpose centre of performing arts, designed especially for Chinese opera. It located on the bank of the Han River, in the heart of Wuhan, next to the Moon Lake. The 45.000sqm design comprises of three Chinese theatres and one grand theatre hall, supported with public exhibition, museum and commercial functions. It establishes itself as part of the existing series of cultural buildings, connecting the Qintai Grand Theatre on its east side and the Qintai Art Museum on its west side. By expanding the existing landscape as part of the building, it merges with both the river and the lake to create a waterfront cultural landscape landmark.  

The objective of the design is to integrate people, art and landscape by blurring the architectural boundaries of indoor and outdoor. The design does not only treat the theater as a building, but as a landscape element on the Qintai, and creates a continuous spatial organization, allowing guests to naturally move between the Han River, Moon Lake, Qintai, and Gui Mountain.  

The exterior massing and façade design takes representative elements from the thousand-year history of Chinese opera; it uses faces, gestures and folding fans as inspiration for the outline and detailing of the building. The façade is clad with alternating glass and ceramic louvers, creating and interesting play of light and shadow.  

The Opera Art Centre hosts the three major troupes of Chinese opera: Han, Jing, and Chu, each with their independent theatre hall, and shared exhibition space. The three troupes are able to operate independently of each other, because of the vertically stacked theatre hall functions. These three theatres are set 20 meters in the air, and the stage can be opened towards the Han River, creating unique performance spaces. The practice halls for the troupes open to the central landscape, bringing culture closer to the visitors of the building and the park.  

Project Information:
Project Name: Wuhan Theatre and Art Centre
Project Time: March,2023 – May,2023
Project Status: 2nd Prize in Competition,2023
Project Size: 45,000㎡
Project Type: Exhibition Mixed-use Theatre, Architecture, Interior design, Landscape design
Project Client: Wuhan Culture and Tourism Bureau, Wuhan Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, Wuhan Culture and Tourism Group Co.
Project Location: Wuhan Qintai Central Culture and Arts District, adjacent to the Han River and Moon Lake, Wuhan, China
Designer Team: PES-Architects Shanghai