This outdoor theater sites within a valley outside Beijing. Embraced by hills on all sides, the venue is located at the west edge of the valley, occupying a site area of 7,000sqm within a 20,000sqm open field.
The theater was designed to suit a variety of music performances, from classical music to contemporary music. It is capable to house an orchestra with 80-100 musicians, providing necessary backstage spaces such as waiting area, dressing room, instrument storage, rehearsal room, toilets and showers, etc.
The stage is covered with a retractable roof structure, 5 roof panels can move independently from each other. As part of the design concept, the curved roof does not only provide necessary shelter for performers and an acoustic backdrop, it is also a stage curtain, as well as a projection screen. We are interested in the interaction between the architecture and performers/ audiences so that the architecture can be an inseparable part of the performances.
Steel structure is used to achieve a lightweight and constructive architectural aesthetics. A structural span of 60m is achieved to create the column free performance space. A new kind of cross – layered cross – cable steel frame is used for the vertical supporting system. The roof is clad in fabric membrane to satisfy the flexibility, stiffness and transparency of the retractable roof.