Guangzhou Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects

The project stands at the edge of a vast, featureless park that is the centerpiece of the district’s master plan, about a 15-minute drive from the old city center.

The two structures shape a series of paths through and around the site. Visitors can slip between the halls, for instance, and down a staircase to a narrow roadway in back, or they can follow a wide concrete ramp that splinters off from this path and spirals down to a smaller outdoor plaza framed by a reflecting pool and a few shops. Other paths return you to the park or out to the main street.

At the heart of Guangzhou’s cultural sites development, a lasting, state of the art to the new millennium overlooking the Pearl River. Its countered profile, unique twin boulder design and approach promenade enhances urban function opens access to the river side and dock areas and creates a new dialogue with the emerging town.