"We used the building's shape to create
an outdoor space where people feel would comfortable and want to stay,"
says Ma. "I wanted people to be able to climb the building, like a
mountain."
A stairwell spiraling
around the exterior leads up to a viewing platform, enabling visitors to
explore every inch of the opera house.
"It's more than just a typical landmark that you can only look at," says Ma.
Ma Yansong, founding principal of the Beijing-based MAD architectural firm
which designed the structure, hopes the venue will inspire a more
natural approach to architecture in heavily populated cities. Harbin is
home to 3.4 million people.
"There's
an emotional aspect of architecture and urban space that's lacking in
modern architecture and urban planning," says Ma.
The Harbin Opera House is the centerpiece of Harbin's Cultural Island -- a new arts hub by the Songhua River, which will include the Harbin Labor Recreation Center and Harbin Great Square.
"I
want to make the building blend into the horizon so it feels like part
of the land," says Ma. "I took this pattern of the water flowing from
the river banks, and I turned it into modern architecture."
While
modern landmark buildings in Chinese cities are often be towering and
imposing, MAD wanted its snow-white structure to have a soothing
aesthetic.
"We used the building's shape to create
an outdoor space where people feel would comfortable and want to stay,"
says Ma. "I wanted people to be able to climb the building, like a
mountain."
A stairwell spiraling
around the exterior leads up to a viewing platform, enabling visitors to
explore every inch of the opera house.
"It's more than just a typical landmark that you can only look at," says Ma.
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