Wuxi, China
Instead of adopting the “closed-box” approach, Group of Architects’ design of Yada Theater is based on the advantaged natural conditions and interprets a unique experience blending art with nature for visitors from the perspective of “openness.”
Different from many buildings for performing arts in cities, Yada Theater is located among green hills and tea fields making it a true “theater in nature.”
Yada Theater has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Awards Honorable Mention by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The design draws on the cultural allusions of the literati collection in the Song Dynasty to create a contemporary cultural landmark located in nature.
The theater is the first small town development to achieve territorial openness and self-operation, and is a cultural landmark of the town.
Adjacent to Yangxian Lake, the site is in a hilly terrain covered by 400 hectares of primitive bamboo forests.
Mountains, bamboo groves, and lakes comprise the local landscape system.
Within this unique geographical condition, Yada Theater incorporates existing ecological aesthetics into its design.
After completion, the theater will serve as a venue not only for performing arts activities in the town but also for residents’ cultural life.
Project: Yada Theatre
Architects: Group of Architects Co., Ltd. (GOA)
Lead Architect Lu Hao, Xu Qi
Design Team: Huang Lida, Yang Bingyu, Xiong Zhidan, Gao Li, Wu Ruochen, and Wang Xintian
General Contractor: Jiujiang Construction Group
Client: Yada Group
Photographs Courtesy of the Architects
