Curtain raised on unique theater's structure
The Nine Tree Art Center, covering 71,700 square meters in Nanqiao Town, is surrounded by an 800,000 square meter forest.
Work on the structure of China’s first “forest theater,” due to open to the public next August, has been completed, the Shanghai Construction No. 4 (Group) Co said on Wednesday.
The Nine Tree Art Center in Shanghai’s Fengxian District, covering an area of 71,700 square meters in Nanqiao Town, is surrounded by an 800,000 square meter forest that is home to a number of wild birds, mainly egrets. The center has three indoor and two outdoor theaters.
“The project integrates forest, architecture, nature, city, water, humanity and art together to create a unique theater,” said Zhao Bin, the project manager. The theater, a work by French architect Frederic Rolland, is designed as a growing seed in the forest. One of its leaves wraps around the main theater with 1,200 seats, while the other leaf covers the multifunctional and themed theaters, Zhao said.
An artist's rendition of the Nine Tree Art Center, which will open to public in August 2019.
The indoor theaters feature holographic sound systems to let every audience member enjoy the same sound effects. Audiences can sit on the lawn in the outdoor forest theater, or be surrounded by flowing water in the water theater.
Main construction is complete and inner decoration has begun. To avoid affecting nearby birds, workers have controlled the lights, flying dust and noise and stopped work at 10pm every day, the group said.
It is hoped that the theater will become a major cultural landmark in the city’s southern suburbs. It will also serve as one of the main sites for a national arts festival in October next year.
