Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

Designed by Rocco Design Architects Associates, the Bao’an Cultural Complex in Shenzhen, is a multifunctional cultural complex that integrates sustainable architectural principles, such as maximizing natural light, optimizing ventilation, and reducing energy consumption.

This project envisioned as a hub for community and cultural exchange, offering spaces for performances, learning, and local gatherings.

Its strategic location and diverse facilities make it a key asset to the Bao’an district, providing residents with free access to arts, literature, and public events.

Housing Shenzhen’s first performance hall and overlooking Quanhai Bay, a 110,000-square-meter complex activates the coastal district with a new cultural heart.

The complex brings together three simple rectangular volumes that were morphologically differentiated and developed into unique and responsive structures while maintaining architectural consistency.

This multifunctional complex includes a performing arts center, library, cultural center, and supporting facilities, all designed to foster community engagement and enrich local cultural life.

For its design, the Bao’an Cultural Complex has been awarded a 2024 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

Although separately operated, the Youth Palace and Culture and Art Center were designed to be both formally and visually integrated.

The building’s form simulates a continuous tear through in the center and divides into two masses aligned along the north-south axis, radiating from a central outdoor courtyard and amphitheater.

Dividing longitudinally from the simple rectangular form, the central slit of the Library shapes the central court of the building and becomes a demarcation for the east and west wings which accommodate different facilities, such as exhibition halls.

A primary gathering area, the 20-meter-high central atrium opens up to all floors, surrounded by an overhead skylight and glass wall on the two sides for better exposure to view and natural sunlight.

It encourages interconnection within the building and adds visual linkage to the exterior. To integrate the 20,000-square-meter Performing Arts Centre into the master plan, its massing followed the long, narrow waterfront site allocated to the center with a main entrance extended to become a central court.

Its low-slung base adopts a wave-like rhythm along the campus’ axis. Offering commanding views over the bay, sky bridges connect the volume to the focal point of the complex: a slanting fly tower.

Gathering areas and elevated porticos line the base of the building. At the end of a sloping volume that extends into the plaza, a smaller one occupied by a restaurant draws the building into the campus. A 600-seat multipurpose theater complementing the 1,500-seat grand theater was outfitted to host high-profile, experimental productions.

The geometries of the sculpted walls lining the space optimize its acoustics. Taking cues from wood and ivory carving techniques indigenous to southern China, each building is encased in a perforated skin system that is modulated in different ways, creating a visually unified complex while defining distinct identities for the three structures.

The subtlety of traditional screens and shadow walls is integrated into a technically innovative construction.

The Library’s façade subtly tilts outward as it rises, the envelope of the Youth Palace and Culture and Art Center whirls around a central courtyard to embrace the city, and the shell of the Performing Arts Centre flutters like a stage curtain caught in a sea breeze.

The Bao’an Cultural Complex embodies buoyancy implicit in new aspirations, wherein the ensemble of individual building

Project: Bao’an Cultural Complex
Architects: Rocco Design Architects Associates Ltd.
Design Team: Rocco Yim, Derrick Tsang, William Tam, Herbert Hung, Martin Fung, Lucia Cheung, Stephen Chan, Simon Ho, Calvin Chung, Ivy Yung, Zachary Wong, Zhu Yi, Seah lee, Jans Liang, Leo Zhou, Chen Lan, Amber Wang, and Yang Shi Pei
General Contractor: China Railway Group Limited (Library) Szjianye Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd (Youth Palace) China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co. Ltd (Performing Arts Centre)
Client: Shenzhen Baoan Central District Planning and Construction Management Office (Library+Youth Palace) Overseas Chinese Town (Performing Arts Centre)
Photographers: Wade Zimmerman Zhang Chao Studio