Theatre inspired by Chinese silk. Guangzhou Yue Show Theatre by Steven Chilton Architects

Project description by Steven Chilton Architects

Located in the Huadu District of Guangzhou, China, the Yue Show Theatre concept was inspired by Chinese silk, a fabric known for its exquisite texture and rich historical significance. The 2000 seat theatre has been designed to house a permanent water show by Franco Dragone and is due to open in late 2019.

Silk is a fabric first developed in China, the earliest example being from 3630 BC used to wrap the body of a child from a Yangshao culture site in Henan. Due to its beautiful texture and lustre, silk became a staple of pre-industrial international trade. This trade was so extensive that the major set of trade routes between Europe and Asia were known as the Silk Road. Guangzhou is the birth place of the Silk Road on the sea and has been one of the most important trading ports since Qin/Han Dynasty.

The building’s appearance is composed in plan of ten gently curving and twisting folds that have been designed to evoke the drape and texture of a silk scarf. Dramatic entrances into the building are formed by seamless continuation of the ‘silk’ material as it is ‘tucked’ into itself at ground level. The inset walls of the various entrances are protected by natural canopies formed by the ‘silk’ material as it overhangs before tucking in to meet and define their outer edges.

The rain screen cladding surface is formed of flat and single curved panels of perforated anodized aluminium supported on a network of painted steel rails. The anodized coating lends itself to mimicking the sheen and lustre of real silk.

The dominant red colour of the theatre surface is given richness and depth as being created by a variety of shades and textures. The folds of the surface are emphasized by using darker hues on downward facing areas that also fall into shadow as the sun rises. The south facing area of cladding has been covered in predominantly gold coloured anodised aluminium panels to help reflect heat away from the building where the sun’s impact is strongest. This pairing of gold and red panels alludes to the classic colour combination found in modern and historic silk garments.