11.07.2019 Duy Mac

Segelschiff aus Glas: Yiwu Grand Theater von MAD Architects

Render: MAD Architects

MAD Architects has come first in a field that included Arata Isozaki & Associates, Atelier Christian de Portzamparc, GMP and KDG in the international competition to design Yiwu Grand Theater for the southern bank of Dongyang River in Zhejiang, a Chinese province.

Their design features two theatres, a conference centre and an open plaza that on its southern edge extends into the water. In keeping with the building's typology, the Yiwu Grand Theater presents itself as a Chinese junk with a layered formation of sails, giving it the look of floating on the water and thus making it part of the picturesque setting. The outer shell's silk-like texture also refers to the eaves of the traditional Jiangnan architecture of the region around Yiwu.

To reduce overall energy consumption, MAD has given Yiwu Grand Theater a passive solar design. The semi-transparent glass façade optimises the use of natural light plus it provides efficient ventilation in the warmer months of the year and conserves heat inside the building in winter in a solar greenhouse effect. Construction of the theatre is scheduled to begin in 2020.

Render: MAD Architects