Move over, Sydney—there’s a new high note in opera design.
Ensconced in the wetlands of Harbin—the capital of Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province—Harbin Opera House was created as an extension of the park in which it resides.
Credit: Iwan Baan
A sinuous mound seemingly sculpted by
wind and water, the unique architectural expression was made to blend
into the unspoilt naturescape and blur the boundaries between the
interior and exterior.
Credit: Iwan Baan
“Opera design normally focuses on
internal space, but here we had to treat the building as part of its
natural environment—one outside of the urban context,” says Ma Yansong,
principal architect and founder of MAD Architects.
In 2010 the Beijing-based firm won an international competition issued
by the city to design a new cultural hub with a master plan involving
two developments—the opera house (which debuted in December) and a
cultural center (set to open later this year).
Credit: Iwan Baan
A billowing mass whose fluid
configuration references the city’s untrammeled wilderness and variable
climate, Harbin Opera House welcomes visitors to climb its sloping
facade via a ramp connected to the ground-level public plaza, which
leads to an observation deck and an amphitheater at the building’s peak.
Credit: Iwan Baan
Credit: Iwan Baan
Resembling a snow-covered hill, the
structure is cloaked in a series of white aluminum panels that vary in
shape, which collectively produce its undulating form. “Some panels are
3D because we wanted to create a floating skin—one that can breathe,”
Yansong says. “I didn’t want the building to look like a perfect
industrial product—I wanted it to look more like a living creature.”
Credit: Iwan Baan
The opera encompasses two
auditoriums, the larger of which is a 1,400-seat expanse clad in locally
sourced, carefully curated wood, hand-applied and chiseled to optimize
acoustics. “The space makes visitors feel as if they’re inside a huge
instrument that allows them to almost visualize the sound,” Yansong
says.
Credit: Adam Mork
Credit: Iwan Baan
The smaller theater—capable of
seating up to 400—features a stage with a glass backdrop that allows the
audience to see outside, flanked by concrete walls carved to mimic
waves. “When the walls reflect the sun, its rays are dispersed in
multiple directions,” says Yansong, who purposely designed the
structure to soak in an abundance of natural light.
Credit: Adam Mork
Credit: Iwan Baan
While a subtle skylight brightens the grand theater, a strategically
draped curtain of pyramidal glass streams sunshine into the sprawling,
columnless lobby. “I didn’t want to create a dark space in the middle of
the park,” he says. “When people enter, they should still feel like the
sun is moving around them.”
Credit: Iwan Baan
Though intrinsically intricate and
high-tech, the opera was not meant to be a show of technical prowess.
Steeped in grandeur and modernity, it aims to be, above all,
effortlessly warm and inviting. “When people visit, they don’t notice
the strength or complexity of the manmade structure—they only feel the
natural atmosphere, which I like,” Yansong says. “I didn’t want the
building to feel cold and lifeless.”
Credit: Iwan Baan
Credit: Iwan Baan
Ultimately, he hoped to create a
building people could interact and have an intimate connection with.
“Most visitors come to the opera house to watch a performance, but we
want them to feel like they themselves are performers,” he says. “The
opera house is such a dramatic, beautiful setting—it’s almost as if the
people are the ones being showcased, like they’ve become part of the
drama. For the moment, they’re away from reality, like they’ve fallen
into an imaginary space or dream. That’s what I wan
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