Hunan Broadcasting System (HNTV), China’s second-largest television station, has begun construction of its new, 150,000m2 production headquarters. The project, with broadcast studios, museum, visitor amenities, and outdoor public space will be a significant cultural center in the Kaifu District of Changsha.
Studio F eliminates the traditional proscenium line breaking the plane between stage and auditorium. Technically, rigging and stage equipment allow production to extend well into the house. Without the traditional proscenium, set designers are free to recreate the architectural expression auditorium – a particular advantage for broadcast television. Architectural finishes at sweeping boxes, balconies, and ceiling incorporate dynamic, LED lighting pulling the audience into the production and allowing for infinite variation of aesthetic expression.
Studio B is designed as a more traditional and intimate theatrical experience. Again, flexibility is built into the space allowing rigging and staging to extend well into the house. But here the auditorium uses warmer finish materials. Concrete, wood, and perforated metal are combined with more subtle aesthetic lighting. Auditorium layout, with the inclusion of balcony and side boxes, brings every seat closer to the stage creating the intimacy one would experience at a much smaller venue. Variable acoustic strategies and a state-of-the-art sound system make the studio function equally well as sound stage and concert hall.