The Sound Wave - Shenzhen Opera

Shenzhen, China

Competition with MVRDV

Situated in a stunning setting on Shenzhen’s south shore and highly visible from the Shenzhen Bay Bridge linking the city to Hong Kong, the Shenzhen Opera House will be the main jewel in a necklace of cultural projects emerging across Shenzhen Bay.

MVRDV’s proposal for the Opera House, named The Soundwave, takes advantage of this prominent location, with a dramatically folded roofline inspired by the building’s function.

The four venues comprise the main 2,300-seat opera theatre, a 1,800-seat concert hall, a smaller “operetta” space of 800 seats, and an adaptable multi-functional performance space with a capacity of around 600 seats. Each of the venues is given its own unique character through its colours and materials, inspired by the four main characters in traditional Chinese opera: the Sheng (male role), Dan (female role), Jing (painted face male) and Chou (the comedy role).

Architects: MVRDV

Acoustic and Theatre design: Theatre Projects

Sébastien Jouan’s role: Technical direction/Principal acoustician 

More info on MVRDV