Shenzhen Opera House Concept Proposal by SCA | English Version

Project name: Shenzhen Opera House concept design 
Office name:  Steven Chilton Architects

Located on top of Shenzhen Bay Park [Park on Shenzhen Bay Coastal Leisure Belt] at the south end of Shekou Peninsula in Nanshan District, the Shenzhen Opera House concept was inspired by traditional paintings of the seascape around Shenzhen Bay.

The building’s program consists of an Opera hall providing 2300 seats, a Concert Hall providing 1800 seats, a small Opera hall providing 800 seats and a multi-functional Theatre.


Master Plan, Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020


Vehicular Pedestrian Movement, Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020

The project site extends into the sea on a peninsula of land overlooking Shenzhen Bay Highway Bridge and the
skyline of Futian Centre to the east, Hong Kong to the south across the sea, and Da Nanshan Mount/Xiao Nanshan
Mount to the west. The site is complemented by a diverse natural setting consisting of mountains, sea, river and
parks with the existing Shenzhen Bay Park to the forming a continuous coastline to the project.

Shenzhen has a subtropical monsoon climate, featuring temperate to mild weather, abundant rainfall and sunshine.


Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020

SCA’s proposal combines the program with a large covered garden and plaza below a unified roof canopy. The
plaza/garden is accessible to the public all year round and is a destination that extends the tropical landscape of
Shenzhen Bay Park directly into the building.


Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020

Influenced by traditional paintings of the sea in the Bay, the roofscape is composed of a series of cable nets
supported by a triangular network of curved beams supported on elegant columns throughout the garden/plaza and
building. Each cable net supports an array of triangular glazed and aluminium panels arranged to provide shade and
light to the spaces below.


Traditional Painting of the sea in the Bay, Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020

The outer cladding around the drum shaped volume is composed of thousands of perforated aluminium panels that
provide shelter from the elements’ whilst allowing views out to the surrounding sea and city scape.

The Opera/Theatre lobby leads directly into the garden/plaza with additional views and egress points positioned
towards the city and across the Shenzhen Bay at each end.

About SCA | Steven Chilton Architects:
Established in 2015, SCA | Steven Chilton Architects is a London based group of highly skilled practitioners
connecting cultural insight and the creative use of technology to achieve an unexpected architecture that seeks to
embrace, captivate and surprise.


Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020


Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020


Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020


Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020


Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020


Copyright Steven Chilton Architects 2020