Fuzhou Strait Culture and Art Centre
The Finnish architectural firm PES-Architects signs this monumental work located in Fuzhou, in the coastal province of Fujian, China. The Strait Culture and Art Center is now establishing itself as the center of Chinese cultural life.
In Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province in China, PES-Architects imagined a gigantic cultural ensemble of extraordinary proportions and appearance: the Strait Culture and Art Center. The imposing 153,000 m2 structure is inspired by jasmine petals, even with reference to the emblematic flower of Fujian. It is presented as an assembly of five main sloping volumes, with variable dimensions, housing an opera house with 1,600 seats, another concert hall with 1,000 seats, a third theater with 700 seats, a museum of art and a cinematographic complex. To achieve this feat, the various buildings with a dynamic cyclonic movement and with pre-weathered zinc roofs are developed according to the same logic. They are all dressed in siding skin and white ceramic tiles and louvers in the shape of a flower. The zones are linked by a curved passage, the roof of which constitutes a panoramic terrace which offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding landscape. On the ground floor, a ledge along the Liangcuo River connects the surroundings to the interior, providing a connection with the metro station. Mixing concrete, steel, wood and ceramic, the premises present unique but complementary universes.
