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38 STYLE | architecture<br />
Grand theatre balcony detail.<br />
Materiality<br />
The curvilinear façades are composed<br />
of smooth white aluminium panels that<br />
highlight the building forms through the<br />
play of shadow and light.<br />
Upon entering the lobby, you are<br />
greeted with large glazed walls and a<br />
crystalline roof structure.<br />
The form of the grand theatre is<br />
introduced by a massive Manchurian ash<br />
object that appears to have eroded away,<br />
creating layered openings. The ash provides<br />
a warm contrast to the icy cold exterior,<br />
and it has been described as evoking the<br />
interior of a musical instrument.<br />
Inside the grand theatre, the same timber<br />
object is sculptured to provide seating and<br />
the main stage. This space, as with much<br />
traditional theatre design, has a real sense<br />
of drama and performance.<br />
Simple materials have been used to<br />
create and emphasise complex and<br />
elegant forms that create the poetry of<br />
the building.<br />
Says Yansong: “Harbin Opera House<br />
deepens the emotional connection of<br />
the public with the environment, and the<br />
architecture is consequently theatrical in<br />
both its performance of narrative spaces<br />
and its context within the landscape.”<br />
Can we have one too, please?
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