The Guangming New District Cultural & Art Centre is conceived as a cultural conduit to connect the creators and consumers of culture. It is foremost an idea driven by providing an active and open forum for the expression, understanding, sharing and learning of contemporary life through art and music, science and knowledge sharing, social interaction and health and well being of the inhabitants. It is a dynamic interaction between all, performers and public, creators and consumers. The Cultural & Art Centre is a cultural destination point; it is a major anchor of the community, a place of gathering and socialization. It is neither elitist nor exclusive. It welcomes all with open arms with desires to expand and embrace a larger sense of oneself and the world.
Our concept design seeks to create a strong cultural hub; a “grounded” anchor upon which culture is the foundation of a vibrant and optimistic community. Our proposal hinges on the idea that the Guangming New District Cultural & Art Centre is composed of 4 major interlocking cultural anchors. These 4 anchors form the pillar of the complex. The anchors are comprised of the Multi-performance theatre, the Book city, the library and the Art and Science & Technology Museum. Each of these anchors is placed in a strategic urban corner of the site, responding to the context and its landscape. The Multi-performance theatre is placed to the south-west corner, the Art + Science & Technology Museums to the west, the library to the north-east corner of the site facing the park, and the Book City sits on the south-eastern corner, creating a strong iconic commercial frontage next to the Guan-guang road.
Each anchor holds its corner and creates an urban doorway facing the 4 plot peripheries. ` Positioning the 4 cultural anchors at the four corner spots of the site, the Guangming New District Cultural & Art Centre forms a perfect square; a purity of geometry that creates a visual identity of the cultural complex. Stripping the cultural language down to its bare essence, the complex is a symbol of fortitude and strength. Furthermore, the four sides create an urban edge. Its purity is discernable from the sky, marking its position as an urban icon visible from near and afar, becoming a beacon of Guangming New District’s ambition and identity as a cultural center for its thriving new city.