Shanghai Oriental Arts Center
Encyclopedia
The Shanghai Oriental Art Center is one of the leading performing arts
and cultural
facilities in Shanghai
and China
and was designed by French architect Paul Andreu
and the Huadong Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd. Located adjacent to Century Avenue in the Pudong
Administration and Culture Center, the landmark building was officially opened at the end of 2004 and has come to symbolize the growth of western and traditional art forms in China in recent years. Various cultural and music
al performances are currently held in the center, including the 2005 Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Shanghai Concert.
The building merges architectural
artistry with functionality. The material of the façades is mainly laminated glass
incorporating perforated metal sheets. The five interconnected hemispherical halls or 'petals', resembling a butterfly
or butterfly orchid
from above, each 'petal' belonging in turn to the entrance hall, the Performance Hall, the Concert Hall, the Exhibition Hall, and the Opera Hall, respectively. To avoid confusion when inside, the interior of each of the five segments are decorated with large distinctly coloured pebbles hung on the walls as a means of differentiating between them. Inside, the dark granite floors and richly hued furnishings offer the feeling of being inside a forest
, while the metal-layered glass screen walls filter the sunshine for a softly diffused forest floor effect.
The project includes also all the suitable backstage facilities for the needs of the performance control areas, performances premises such as dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms and lounges. The high-tech ceiling changes colour during the night to reflect the nature of the performances inside. It also features ancillary public facilities, such an exhibition hall, music shops, restaurant and arts exchange premises.
31.2249495°N 121.5368986°W
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
and cultural
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
facilities in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and was designed by French architect Paul Andreu
Paul Andreu
Paul Andreu is a renowned French architect. He is best known for having planned numerous airports worldwide, notably Ninoy Aquino International Airport , Soekarno-Hatta International Airport , Shanghai Pudong International Airport Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai International Airport,...
and the Huadong Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd. Located adjacent to Century Avenue in the Pudong
Pudong
Pudong |Bank]]") is an area of Shanghai, China, located along the east side of the Huangpu River, across from the historic city center of Shanghai in Puxi. Formerly a little-developed agricultural area linked only by ferries, Pudong has grown rapidly since the 1990s and emerged as China's financial...
Administration and Culture Center, the landmark building was officially opened at the end of 2004 and has come to symbolize the growth of western and traditional art forms in China in recent years. Various cultural and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al performances are currently held in the center, including the 2005 Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Shanghai Concert.
The building merges architectural
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
artistry with functionality. The material of the façades is mainly laminated glass
Laminated glass
Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, it is held in place by an interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral , between its two or more layers of glass. The interlayer keeps the layers of glass bonded even when broken, and its high...
incorporating perforated metal sheets. The five interconnected hemispherical halls or 'petals', resembling a butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
or butterfly orchid
Butterfly Orchid
Butterfly orchid may refer to:* Psychopsis, any species* Sarcochilus, several species* Anacamptis papilionacea * Encyclia tampensis* Epidendrum venosum* Habenaria psycodes* Oncidium papilio...
from above, each 'petal' belonging in turn to the entrance hall, the Performance Hall, the Concert Hall, the Exhibition Hall, and the Opera Hall, respectively. To avoid confusion when inside, the interior of each of the five segments are decorated with large distinctly coloured pebbles hung on the walls as a means of differentiating between them. Inside, the dark granite floors and richly hued furnishings offer the feeling of being inside a forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, while the metal-layered glass screen walls filter the sunshine for a softly diffused forest floor effect.
The project includes also all the suitable backstage facilities for the needs of the performance control areas, performances premises such as dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms and lounges. The high-tech ceiling changes colour during the night to reflect the nature of the performances inside. It also features ancillary public facilities, such an exhibition hall, music shops, restaurant and arts exchange premises.
External links
31.2249495°N 121.5368986°W