A progression of arches in a fluid rhythm, appearing understated against the reflective, glass-walled skyscrapers of the Qiantan International Business District (also dubbed the New Bund) in Shanghai foreground the entrance to a new cultural centre in the area. Conceptualised by the Chinese architecture studio, Neri&Hu, the New Bund 31 Performing Arts Centre is a venue that houses a grand theatre and a black box space. For the architects and stakeholders, the cultural building is poised to become “an architectural landmark for the community”, an ambition which is reflected in the design. Apart from the theatre and cultural space, the public building in the New Bund, which is a rapidly developing business district in Shanghai, accommodates a retail space, an office tower and a boutique hotel.

Throughout the interior design, the architects have employed the repetitive motif of the arch. Further, the use of materials such as terrazzo and wood add a certain tactility to the spaces, foregoing grandiose gestures for a muted suggestion of luxury. Recently, the Chinese architects worked with a similar idea of repeating motifs for the Lattice, an apartment design in Taipei which reinterpreted the traditional "flower grid" screens seen in Taiwanese architecture. Here, the duo whose work is an exploration and reimagination of historic contexts and designs, take inspiration from the classical archetype of "the arena.” The stage-like setting for the theatre design exaggerates the theatricality of the grand space. “From any given position, your eye is drawn up and down, across the spaces; visitors take on a duality of roles—both observer and performer— such that the atrium itself becomes another stage,” the architects write.

Upon entering the imposing five-storey tall atrium of the cultural space, a visitor is greeted with the impressive, repeating arches, stacked on top of each other; a distinct reference to the architecture of the arena. This motif defines not only the atrium architecture but frames the hall, reception areas and circulation paths through the use of barrel vaults. While the atrium space is massive, an understated material palette of grey terrazzo coupled with metallic accents renders the space in a more modest aesthetic. The same grey terrazzo is employed throughout the circulation spaces.  

While the arches stage the public space as a performance of everyday life, within the grand theatre, the use of the arches not only echoes the conceptual underpinnings of the interiors but also serve the acoustic requirements of the space. The theatre is designed to hold 2500 people at one time. Oak panels ensconce the hall, acting as an acoustic buffer and making the grandiose size of the space feel intimate. The rhythmic arrangement of the panels and the regular pattern of the arches and balconies lend the design an easy fluidity. The play between flamboyance of scale and a certain reservedness emphasised with materiality is evident in the other spaces as well, including restrooms clad in bronze and lift cars in copper.

The public building also sets out a black box exhibition space for meetings and conferences, apart from the central hall which is delineated for performances of a grander scale. Playing on the idea of a literal “black box”, the walls of the space are sheathed in blackened stainless steel, contrasting it considerably to the otherwise classical theatre design. This sense of contrast is further enhanced by the material treatment of the escalators leading to the black box. Designed as a lightbox and constructed with glass blocks, it gives “visitors the experience of travelling along a crystalline tunnel,” the architects note.

Doing away with pastiche pomp and glitz usually associated with performance venues, the focus on understated luxury and tactility throughout the design helps foster a balance between a restful space and the stimulus of being in a theatre. The simple motifs used only add to the elegant nature of the design, but mirror the functions of the site by emphasising the idea of theatricality. "'The Arena' becomes a venue that invites people to not only be visually and aurally stimulated, but also to be challenged intellectually,” the architects comment, on the reference to classical archetypes. With Shanghai hoping to foster a more robust network of cultural and performance spaces in the Pudong New Area and the emergence of new cultural venues along the Huangpu River that cater to this desire, Neri&Hu’s thoughtful intervention is a reminder that grandiosity can be achieved with minimal design.

Project Details

Name: New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center
Location: Shanghai, China
Client: Shun Tak Holdings (Hong Kong) and Lujiazui Group (Shanghai)
Partner Architects: Lyndon Neri, Rossana Hu
Design Team: Associate Director-in-charge: Ziyi Cao; Associate-in-charge: Fong Win Huang; Christine Chang, Chaofu Yeh, Siyu Chen, Sela Lim, Alexander Goh, Kate Hwang, Nicolas Fardet, Kany Liu, Ath Supornchai, Greg Wu, Becky Zhang, Luna Hong, Elan Tao, Zhikang Wang, Jingyi Bi, Guanlin Lee, Kathy Hu, Jinlong Li, Danyan Jin, Cheri Lee, Shiqi Zhang, Davis Butner, Vanessa Wu, Elis Huang
Consultants:
Architect: Palmer & Turner Consultants
Curtain Wall Consultant: Shanghai Zhulian Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.
Structural Consultant: Arup
MEP Consultant: China Team Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch
Landscape Consultant: East China Architectural Design & Research Institute
Construction PM: AECOM Ltd
Theater Planning & Design: Theatre Projects
Theater PM: Le Group
LDI: Shanghai TIANHUA Architecture Planning & Engineering Ltd.
Acoustic Consultant: SMW (Shanghai) Business Consulting Co., Ltd
Art Consultant: Art Front Consultant (Shanghai) Co., Ltd
Interior LDI: Shanghai Modern Architectural Decoration Environmental Design Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Interior Lighting: Branston Partnership Inc.
Kitchen Consultant: CKP Kitchen Design Consultant Co., Ltd.
Signage Consultant: Shanghai Saichi Logo Design Engineering Co., Ltd.
Area: 17,580 sqm
Year of Completion: 2023