Located in Dongguan within the Greater Bay Area of southern China’s Pearl River estuary, the new Songshan Lake Exhibition and Performance Centre is at the heart of a mixed-use masterplan to revitalize the Yuehe Lake waterfront.

Designed by ZHA to serve as a civic and cultural anchor of the growing community, the Songshan Lake Exhibition and Performance Centre (SSLEPC) will host a variety of national and international events, exhibitions and performances for audiences of all ages. The centre’s public programme was inaugurated with its opening concert ‘The Sound of Songhu’ led by the China National Symphony Orchestra.

Honouring a birthplace of Cantonese Opera, an artform dating back over 700 years to the Song Dynasty, the flowing forms of its traditional costumes have inspired the centre’s design. Evoking the unique silk ‘water sleeves’ (the white extensions of robes worn by performers of Cantonese Opera who convey emotion with their animated gestures) the centre’s design incorporates multiple distinct structures that crescendo and flare, rising at its western edge to frame the main theatre and exhibition space.

Informed by the upturned eaves of the region’s traditional Lingnan architecture, the extended overhang of the centre’s roof maintains generous levels of natural light throughout the interiors while protecting the building and its outdoor spaces that are situated within Dongguan’s humid subtropical climate.

Facilitating fluid transitions across multiple levels of SSLEPC’s interior and exterior, the design opens to its sheltered public plaza, garden terraces and waterfront promenade on Songshan Lake for local residents and visitors to enjoy year-round.

The 1,200-seat Grand Theatre, along with the Exhibition Hall, is designed to host large-scale productions by local, national and international performers, in addition to conferences, industry forums, art exhibitions and sporting competitions. The 400-seat Multifunction Hall will host smaller theatrical productions and children's theatre.

The Grand Theatre's walls and ceiling are defined by 100,000 slender spines that enhance sound diffusion, control reverberation and disperse standing soundwaves to enrich acoustic clarity, ensuring a consistent auditory experience for every seat in the house. This field of static spines that vary in length, density and tone animates the interior with the perception of a subtle, rhythmic vibrancy.

The installation of prefabricated ultra-high-performance concrete cladding cast from reusable molds has reduced construction time, CO2 emissions and waste. Prefabricated aluminium soffits and roof panels feature a light grey opalescent finish to minimize solar heat gain at the centre’s low-latitude location. Its interiors incorporate aluminium and glass reinforced gypsum for low maintenance operations while extending the building’s life-cycle and reducing embodied carbon.

High-Performance façades and intelligent HVAC building management systems provide optimal operational efficiencies. The centre’s roof includes photovoltaic arrays and rainwater harvesting to generate on-site renewable energy and reduce water consumption. The sheltered public plaza, garden terraces and waterfront park combine permeable surfaces and re-planted wetlands to mitigate flood risk and enhance local biodiversity.