Rows of arches and barrel vaults reference Shanghai's historic alleyways at New Bund Performing Arts Centre, completed by local architecture studio Neri&Hu.
Located in the Qiantan International Business Zone, also called New Bund, the 17,580-square-metre complex contains a 2,500-seat grand theatre and multipurpose black box, alongside a bar, restaurant and lounges.
Neri&Hu has completed New Bund Performing Arts Centre
Aiming to better link this newly-developed area with the city's history, Neri&Hu drew on Shanghai's lilongs ? a historic urban housing typology where separate homes are linked by long, narrow lanes and alleys.
This informed a recurring arched motif that appears throughout the New Bund Performing Arts Centre, defining a series of internal routes and balconies. Arched motifs feature throughout
"In such a new context, we believed it was important to root the project in the cultural context of Shanghai's urban history and its connection to theatre," Neri&Hu told Dezeen.
"Shanghai's density and the urban fabric of its lilongs resulted in an urban novelty, where the domestic bedroom spaces with windows and balconies often overlook internal streets, creating a unique cinematic intersection of public and private space," it continued.
"The concept for the performing arts centre was to bring part of the spirit of the traditional alleyways into the pre-function and arrival atrium spaces."
The design references Shanghai's his...