Wenling, China
The Wenling Cultural Center is the anchor of a new arts and cultural district in Wenling City, an urban center of 1.3 million residents on the southeast coast of China. Inspired by the local poem of “four mountains, one water, and five fields,” the main program components – the theater, arts center, library, and an existing museum represent the mountains; the Xiabao River represents the water; and the dedicated terraces, landscapes and plazas represent the 5 fields. A central cultural arts plaza draws the museum, theater, and library together activating this cultural hub throughout the day for both the community and visitors to the city.
Wenling Cultural Center by DLR Group, won an American Architecture Award 2025 from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
The project visually and conceptually connects people to the place by elevating the ground floor and promoting the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces encourage outdoor interaction and activities.
The porosity around the library’s ground floor extends toward the cultural arts plaza, which links the city and the water. The integrated building volumes are connected by balconies and outdoor terraces. Multi-level indoor and outdoor spaces with open view corridors and rich landscaping invite citizens to take part in the everyday activities of the art center.
The project encompasses 645,275 SF of diverse spaces, including a 226,000 SF library, 118,000 SF theater building, 86,000 SF art center, 54,450 SF public square, and a below grade 212,275 SF parking facility. The theater building accommodates a 1,200-seat auditorium, 500-seat black box, café, and VIP lounge.
The arts center connects the theater and library with an open atrium and offers exhibitions and activity rooms. The library houses additional exhibition space, reading rooms, lecture halls, and a feature restaurant. Civic in scale and function, the library activates a prominent corner on the main street and is located near public transportation to increase accessibility for people in the neighborhood.
The cultural center incorporates characteristics of Chinese and local traditional culture, offering venues for popular activities such as music, dancing, calligraphy, and painting. The theater serves as a window for residents of Wenling, allowing them to enjoy art through various forms through concerts and stage plays. The project is open to all citizens reflecting the public nature of the cultural center.
Sustainable design elements include daylighting, natural passive ventilation, rainwater collection and reuse, solar heating, and environmentally friendly building materials.
The Center aims to meet the requirements for a China Two-Star Green Building. It incorporates green building measures in site planning and outdoor environment, building materials, and indoor environment. The elevated design at its base helps reduce summer temperatures through shading and the introduction of monsoon winds.
By considering the building’s orientation, the location and size of windows are thoughtfully designed to maximize natural ventilation and daylight, thereby minimizing the need for air conditioning during the spring and autumn seasons. Additionally, external shading measures are implemented on the west side of the building to effectively reduce energy consumption.
The Center utilizes a solar photovoltaic power generation system and air source heat pumps as renewable energy sources. Through various green energy-saving measures in architecture, structure, and MEP disciplines, the building reduces energy consumption and effectively utilizes resources, thereby maintaining the ecological health of the site.
Water resources are used rationally, and drinking water is not used for irrigation or cooling. The project also utilizes permeable paving and depressional green spaces to effectively control the total volume of rainwater runoff. Rainwater collected from the building’s roof is directed into a rainwater reuse tank, where it is treated and then used for irrigation, as well as for washing roads and plazas.
Our team won an international design competition to secure the project and completed conceptual design, schematic design, and project implementation phase consultancy.
Architect: DLR Group
Design Team: Vanessa Kassabian, Joe Long, Leon Qiu, Zhenshuo Chai, Zhehao Wu, Shiwen Zhang
Associate Architect: ZIAD | Zhejiang Province Institute of Architectural Design and Research
Client: Wenling Urban Development Investment Group Co., Ltd.
General Contractor: Weiling Ruan, Huashen Construction Group
Landscape Architects: Xingyu Yang
