Yin and Yang as a design tool. Yangliping Performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu-Pei
08/09/2021.
[Dali - Yunnan] China
metalocus, CARLOS GONZÁLEZ
metalocus, CARLOS GONZÁLEZ
Yangliping Performing Arts Center, designed by Zhu Pei, is located in Dali city just to the northeast of the historic old town. The city is an important tourism destination sit on the fertile plateau between the Cangshan mountain range (which reaches 4,000 meters in height) and the 40 kilometres wide Erhai lake, at South-west China.
Zhu Pei was commissioned by the professional dancer Yang Liping, a star in China. She has created new interpretations of the folk dances from the Yunnan region and combined elements of these with contemporary dance forms. Yang herself belongs to the Bai-people ethnic minority, and comes from Dali.
The old town has largely preserved and still has some remains of the historic city wall with gate towers. Recent economic and urban development have concentrated in Xiaguan at the southern of the lake, while cultural programmes have been developed in Dali; with parallel improvements in traditional heritage buildings such as the pagodas and temples, and in new facilities including the Performing Arts Centre and the Museum of Contemprorary Art, both designed by Zhu-Pei, after the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum.
Zhu Pei was commissioned by the professional dancer Yang Liping, a star in China. She has created new interpretations of the folk dances from the Yunnan region and combined elements of these with contemporary dance forms. Yang herself belongs to the Bai-people ethnic minority, and comes from Dali.
The old town has largely preserved and still has some remains of the historic city wall with gate towers. Recent economic and urban development have concentrated in Xiaguan at the southern of the lake, while cultural programmes have been developed in Dali; with parallel improvements in traditional heritage buildings such as the pagodas and temples, and in new facilities including the Performing Arts Centre and the Museum of Contemprorary Art, both designed by Zhu-Pei, after the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Yao Zhang.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei by. Photograph by Weiqi Jin.
Site plan. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Site plan. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Ground floor plan. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Underground floor plan. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Roof plan. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Axonometric section. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Section 4-4 and 5-5. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Section. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Beam section. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Beam section. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Cave and nest concept. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Yin Yang conceptual diagram. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Conceptual diagram. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Sketch. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Model. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Model. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Model. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Model. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Model. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Model. Yangliping performing Arts Center by Studio Zhu Pei.
Zhu Pei was inspired by the powerful surrounding landscape and its natural variations and climate, and the theater uses a composition of big canopy roof and flowing topography to invite users into an interior plaza.
The interior plaza is met with a theater box that, when active, transforms the plaza into an interior-exterior performance space. This performance space uses the blurred boundary between landscape and stage to also explore and erase the boundaries between performer and spectator.
As with mountains and valleys, the striking shape of the roof reflects the landscape and points to the ancient Chinese principle of yin and yang, where two opposites form a whole together. Formally expressed as organic=shaped hills, the partly sunken spaces become like a natural garden landscape, promising a high experiential quality, which continues into the public theatre inside.
The interior plaza is met with a theater box that, when active, transforms the plaza into an interior-exterior performance space. This performance space uses the blurred boundary between landscape and stage to also explore and erase the boundaries between performer and spectator.
As with mountains and valleys, the striking shape of the roof reflects the landscape and points to the ancient Chinese principle of yin and yang, where two opposites form a whole together. Formally expressed as organic=shaped hills, the partly sunken spaces become like a natural garden landscape, promising a high experiential quality, which continues into the public theatre inside.
Project description by Studio Zhu-Pei
Zhu Pei was invited by friends Yang Liping and Wang Yanwu to design their performing arts center in Dali. As a dance artist, Yang Liping has been enthusiastically caring for nature and culture here and devoted to discovering the local folk dance art in Yunnan. The Performing Arts Center is located on the northeast side outside the ancient city. Its east and south sides are farmland, streams, woods, and wetlands; the west and north sides are villages.
The stretch of Cang Mountain stands on the west side of the Performing Arts Center, and the Zhonghe Stream among the eighteen streams in Cang Mountain passes through the ancient city from west to east, passing through the south side of the site and heading straight to the Erhai Lake.
The original idea of the Performing Arts Center is rooted in the perception of the local natural climate and the specific culture bred from it, as well as the survival wisdom of the locals. An open, outward-looking, horizontal roof that looks like an earthy landscape and shelters from rain is like the horizon at the junction of Cang Mountain and the Erhai Lake, creating a huge shelter, shaping a public space that contains the possibility of various events. It also provides an ideal habitat for people traveling between the ancient city and Erhai Lake.
In people's impression, the theater has always been a huge black box wrapped by some fragmentary auxiliary functions such as a foyer, lounge, rehearsal hall, etc. It strives to isolate itself from the outside world and regards natural phenomena such as light, sound, and wind as its natural enemies. The greatest effort made by the architecture of the Performing Arts Center in Dali is to try to subvert people's perception of theater and create a new theater concept and new experiences.
The Performing Arts Center tries to avoid the concept of internal and external distinction, black and white, and self-integrity, whether in terms of architectural space and form or in terms of performance and event activity content. This may be like the blank space in traditional Chinese painting. The author expects to use the incompleteness of his own painting to complete the work together with viewers of different eras with their own imagination, thus giving life to the work. This kind of intertwining and interdependence between the multiple elements of nature, architecture, performance, and people, together to create a full theater, thus realizing its integrity.
Another idea is to fully interact with nature to realize natural intelligent ecological architecture. Dali is located on a plateau with strong sunlight. The far-reaching and horizontally extended roof is like a big canopy. While resisting ultraviolet rays, it also shapes shadows and provides a comfortable environment for people to shade and avoid rain. Through targeted design strategies, the Performing Arts Center fully responded to the local natural environment and climatic conditions and realized the diversity and mobility of architectural forms and spaces.
In a nutshell, the concept of Yangliping Performing Arts Center is rooted in the perception of Dali's natural climate and culture. It is also another in-depth experimental work on the design philosophy of "Architecture of Nature" after the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum. This building indeed subverts our traditional cognition of theater, constructing a porous, open, and fluid alternative theater, more precisely an art space. It does not strive to be a monument, but sets a stage for the vast natural landscape beyond it: back against Cang Mountain and facing the Erhai Lake. It is like a ten-mile-long pavilion outside the ancient city, welcoming people who visit Dali.
More information
Architects
Studio Zhu-Pei. Design Principal.- Pei Zhu. Lead Designers.- Edwin Lam, Shuhei Nakamura.
Design team
Mo Han, Fan He, Ling Liu, Zhigang Wu, Changchen You, Gary Poon, Jun Ke, Peng Wang, Zheng Wang, Xinyue Ding, Chaoying Feng, Yida Chen, Yi Han, Wendi Lin, Yao Du.
Collaborators
Structure Consultant.- Professor Fu Xueyi National Engineering Survey and Design.
Mep Consultant.- CCDI. Lighting Consutlant.- Ning Field Lighting Design CO. LTD. Acustic Consultant.- China IPPR International Engineering Co. Ltd. Theater Consultant.- dUCKS scéno Creative Solution Integration LTD. Facade Consultant.- Shenzhen Dadi Facade Technology CO. LTD.
Mep Consultant.- CCDI. Lighting Consutlant.- Ning Field Lighting Design CO. LTD. Acustic Consultant.- China IPPR International Engineering Co. Ltd. Theater Consultant.- dUCKS scéno Creative Solution Integration LTD. Facade Consultant.- Shenzhen Dadi Facade Technology CO. LTD.
Builder
The Third Construction CO. LTD. of YCIH.
Client
Dali Yang Liping Grand Theatre Co., LTD.
Area
8,155 sqm.
Dates
2020.
Location
Dali, Yunnan, China.
Photography
Weiqi Jin, Yao Zhang.
Zhu Pei, Hon. Studio Zhu-Pei
Studio Zhu-Pei. Founded in 2005 in Beijing, Studio Zhu-Pei is one of the leading Chinese architecture firms focusing on cultural projects. Studio Zhu-Pei is recognized for its experience of ability to blend forms, space, and light with great contextual sensitivity and to utilize the unique qualities of each project to create a concept-driven design. The studio specializes in seamlessly integrating new projects into contexts with particular natural, cultural and historic importance.
Studio Zhu-Pei’s design philosophy is focused on Nature Architecture, which explores the importance and relations between the root that grounds the work deeply into a specific nature and culture, and innovation that define the revolutionary thinking to the architecture.
Zhu Pei, Hon. FAIA is the founder and principal designer of the studio. He is the Dean, professor of School of Architecture, the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He has taught as a visiting professor at Harvard University and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. He was a jury member of the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2011.
Studio Zhu-Pei’s design philosophy is focused on Nature Architecture, which explores the importance and relations between the root that grounds the work deeply into a specific nature and culture, and innovation that define the revolutionary thinking to the architecture.
Zhu Pei, Hon. FAIA is the founder and principal designer of the studio. He is the Dean, professor of School of Architecture, the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He has taught as a visiting professor at Harvard University and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. He was a jury member of the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2011.
Categories
Our selection
