Because of the upcoming Olympic Games, Beijing’s commissioning of several structurally complex and grandiose new buildings – such as Rem Koolhaas’ CCTV HQ and Herzog & De Meuron’s Bird’s Nest National Stadium – has garnered much public attention. Other Chinese cities, though, are also getting very modernist in their urban outlook – with new commercial and municipal structures in Chengdu, Guangzhou and Chongqing among the world’s most experimental.
Now the former Wu kingdom capital of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, is also
getting in on the game. Last year, it opened the Suzhou Museum,
designed by Guangzhou-born architect I.M. Pei (only his second project
in mainland China). Described by Pei as “Suzhou, but new; China, but
new”, the Museum updates and rearranges, yet also visibly respects,
Suzhou’s traditional whitewashed architecture with grey slate lines and
roofing, and was regarded as one of the finest new buildings
constructed worldwide in 2006.
But, while I.M. Pei’s masterpiece is located in the old city – the
avant garde architectural action is happening in ‘New’ Suzhou. The
Suzhou Industrial Park to the east of the ancient city is actually a
city-within-a-city – a sprawling new development of factories,
residential housing compounds and office towers. The latest phase of
development is ‘lifestyle and entertainment’, focused around the
gigantic Jinji Lake. Already there is a Thai-resort style boutique
hotel and the vast, glassy Ligongdi dining and bar district – which
screams “Build and they will come.” Apparently, on weekends they do –
in their thousands.
The newest addition is the Suzhou Science and Culture Arts Centre, a
swooping lakeside ‘bird’s-nest’ style building that houses a grand
theatre, IMAX cinema, 6-screen Cineplex, and a 500-seat dinner theatre
(opening in January) featuring nightly performances by an international
dance company directed by Stephen Jeffries, former Principal Dancer for
the Royal Ballet in Covent Garden, London, and Artistic Director of the
Hong Kong Ballet Company.
Designed by French-born architect Paul Andreu – creator of Beijing’s
controversial new ‘Glass Egg’ National Grand Theatre, the Oceanus
Project in Macao and the Oriental Arts Centre in Shanghai – the SSCAC’s
fluid lines and textured layering seems to owe much to both Frank Gehry
and Antoni Gaudi. The result, however, is stunning – especially when
lit up in dramatic neon at night. Standing on the vast concourse with
the sun’s rays zapping off the entwined metal casing that gives the
building it’s bird’s nest effect, there is little doubt – this is New
Suzhou and New China all rolled into one.
Last update : Saturday, 01 December 2007
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