This is a cultural complex accommodating library and concert hall located in a city of Shenzhen, which is a northern adjoining city to Hong Kong.
The new city a r e a i s n o w u n d e r development at Futian district on the west side of the city center. The new cultural district is located on the north side of the new city area. The Shenzhen Cultural Center, consisting of a concert hall with 2,000 seats, and a library of 4,000,000 books, is planned at this district. Several international architects were invited to participate in the design competition, and AIA’s proposal won the first prize.
The site is divided in two by the central street, but the concert hall on the north side and the library on the south, which are almost symmetrical, are connected by the pedestrian deck located 6.6 m above ground. This deck becomes the small front plaza for both facilities, and people are lead along the undulating glass curtain wall, with water running down its surface, into both entrances. The atrium consists of glass polyhedrons supported by golden tree-like structures. Through the atrium visitors arrive in a gigantic space with the gently curved roof between the 40 meter-high black wall on the west and the glass facade. This gigantic space is allocated for the reading room in the library, and the large hall of vineyard configuration in the concert hall. Carriage porch, bus stops, and entryway to underground car parking are located underneath the pedestrian deck, and are shared by both facilities. The concert hall and the library are united by these common elements.
According to requirement in the design competition, the site was originally divided in two and the two building were supposed to be operated separately in terms of hours and purposes. However the integration of two facilities of different operating hours will create an amalgam of activities through day and night. And by unifying the two buildings the exterior facades will clearly define the border of the cultural center district, to strongly emphasize its presence in the new city.