Dali, China

Pei Zhu and the design team at Studio Zhu-Pei were inspired by the powerful surrounding landscape and searched for landscape-related references to solve the architectonic challenges for the Yanglipin Performing Arts Center.

Situated between the Cang mountain chain, rising 4,000 meters in height, and 40 kilometer-long Lake Erhai, the city of Dali was a significant stop on the ancient tea and horse road, and is now an important tourism destination.

The old town has largely been preserved and still has some remains of the historic city wall and gate towers. A widely cantilevered rectangular roof spans across a built landscape of free-flowing indoor and outdoor spaces, some of which can be combined as an interacting spatial system.

As with mountains and valleys, the strong shape of the roof reflects the more organic landscape below and points to the old Chinese principle of yin and yang, where two opposites combine together to form a whole.

Formally expressed as organic-shaped hills, the partly sunken spaces transform into a natural garden landscape, promising a high experiential quality that extends inside to the public theatre.

Project: Yangliping Performing Arts Center
Architects: Studio Zhu-Pei
Design Team: Zhu Pei, Edwin Lam, Shuhei Nakamura, Virginia Melnyk, You Changchen, Han Mo, He Fan, Liu Ling, Wu Zhigang, Gary Poon, Ke Jun, Wang Peng, Wang Zheng, Ding Xinyue, Feng Chaoying, Chen Yida, Han Yi, Lin Wendi, and Du Yao
Theater Designers: dUCKS scéno, Creative Solution
Structural Engineers: Professor Fu Xueyi, Master of National Facade: Shenzhen Dadi Facade Technology Co., Ltd.
General Contractor: The Third Construction Co., Ltd. of YCIH
Client: Dali Yang Liping Grand Theatre Co., Ltd.
Photographers: Jin Weiqi and Zhang Yao