Since the people of ancient Greece evolved the ritual activities into a form of entertainment that everyone can participate in, for thousands of years, theater has been an important part of human spiritual and cultural life, people judge the past and the present through drama, examine themselves, and the theater, as the carrier of this rich culture, often innovates in form and style, and becomes a representative building of a city. Below, we'll take you to see 24 of the world's most interesting modern theater buildings.

24 cities, 24 theater buildings represented

Busan Film Center, South Korea

Architectural design: Blue Sky Group Coop Himmelb(l)au

According to Mr. Wolf de Prex, head of design of the Blue Sky Group, the basic concept of the project mainly shows the overlap of open and closed spaces, public and private spheres. The purpose of the design is to create a new interactive space for public exchanges, cultural programs, entertainment activities, technological innovation and architectural design, and to create a vibrant monument in the urban landscape.

© Duccio Malagamba

© Blue sky group

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Shenzhen Opera House

Architectural Design: Jean Nouvel Architects

The results of the Shenzhen Opera House Architectural Scheme Design International Competition were announced, and the "Light of the Sea" plan submitted by the design team led by the Pritzker Prize winner and internationally renowned architectural design master Jean Nouvel stood out and won the first prize. Jean Nouvel's design team's proposal responds to the site and proposition in a combination of abstraction and figuration, thinking from the perspective of urban, mountain and sea multidimensional thinking, with the encounter of music and the sea as the main idea.

© Jean Nouvel Office

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Taipei Performing Arts Center

Architectural Design: OMA Architects

OMA believes that "contemporary art has no reason to be depressed" and that TPAC is an opportunity to experiment with the inner workings of the theater, thus giving it a dynamic look. Thus, TPAC's three theaters are inserted into a central cube, combining the stage, backstage, and service spaces into a single, effective entity, allowing the stage to be modified or merged for unforeseen scenarios. The project will include three theatres, namely the Grand Theatre with 1,500 seats, the Multi-Purpose Theatre with 800 seats, a flexible layout for better performances, and an 800-seat spherical theatre. This is perhaps the most iconic element of the look.

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The Shed Arts Center

Architectural design: Diller Scofidio + Renfro Architects

"The Shed" open infrastructure can provide permanent flexibility for the unknown future and be able to respond in a timely manner to the changing needs of scale, media, technology and artists. The 37-metre-high removable shell of "The Shed" is constructed from an exposed steel bevel with a translucent cushion made of polyvinyl fluoride (ETFE) and lightweight Teflon polymers. This material has the thermal insulation properties of insulating glass and is only equivalent to a fraction of the weight of insulating glass. The PFLC panel of "The Shed" is the largest ever, with a length of nearly 21 meters in some places.

© Iwan Baan

© TimothySchenck

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The Elbe Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg

Architectural design: Herzog & de Meuron

The building is built on top of a historic warehouse building on the banks of the Elbe, and is a towering glass structure. The building includes 3 concert halls, a large music education area, a platform overlooking the city and a hotel. The concert hall, the largest of the three concert halls, will accommodate 2,100 people, and its sound environment will be designed by the internationally renowned acousticist Yakuhisa Toyoda. In the building, one can enjoy a visual journey.

© Iwan Baan

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Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Hall

Architectural Design: Zaha haddid Architects

In order to design the new home of the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, Zaha Hadid Architects "Echo of Physical Sound Waves" created an inspiring venue to meet the Philharmonic Orchestra's growth plan and create a new public square for all citizens. Zaha's scheme is based on "the characteristics of musical resonances that create fluctuations in continuous smooth performances" and transforms them into flowing, suspended elements floating above a new urban space, all contained under a vast dome of poverty. At the center of the scheme is a 1600-seat concert hall and a 400-seat private concert hall "nestled against the deformed surface of the suspended dome" rising away from the ground, an element that creates a unimpeded hall below, serving as a vibrant public gathering space for the urban population. In this scheme, interconnected public spaces are arranged in a continuous row in the form of a roof terrace overlooking the City's Halloween.

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Camar Theatre

Architectural Design: Kengo Kuma Architects

The geometric design of the new theater is inspired by the "ice flower", a rare natural phenomenon on Lake Caban. In winter, the volume of the building will merge with its surroundings and become part of the lake. In summer, the waterside building is unified with the landscape through the reflection of the various folds of the transparent façade. In this way, through its form, the building expresses the "sharpness" and "zhi" in the characteristics of Tatar culture, architecture and art.

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Sydney Opera House

Architectural Design: Jon Uson

The history behind the opera house and its creation is as rich as the building itself. In 1956, the NSW Government held an open competition for the design of two performance halls (for opera and symphony concerts) in the hope of making Sydney a major city. Danish architect Jørn Utzon won the competition, and his work consisted of several simple sketches that attracted the famous Eero Saarinen, who was one of the judges. According to the jury, "the submitted drawings are simple enough to be illustrated". "Construction began in March 1959 and was carried out in three phases: the construction of the foundation and the podium overlooking Sydney Harbour, the construction of the enclosure, and the construction of the interior. The shell structure consists of a rib system of a precast concrete shell consisting of the various parts of the sphere. Utsson wanted the shells to be depicted as large sails, contrasting with the deep blue ocean in which it was located. To achieve this aesthetic, the shells are covered with 1,056,066 tiles made of clay and rubble in Sweden. Along with the placement of the tiles, it took 11 years to complete this iconic roof structure.

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Harbin Opera House

Architectural Design: MAD Architects

Located in the wetland environment of Harbin, the Harbin Opera House is designed to echo the wild spiritual strength and harsh climatic conditions of this northern city. The building is shaped by wind and water, fully integrated into nature and terrain, infused with local character, art and culture. "We want the Harbin Opera House to be a cultural hub of the future, a venue where large-scale performances can be performed, as well as a dynamic public space that integrates people, art and urban identity, and at the same time integrates into the surrounding natural environment," said Ma Yansong, founder and architect of MAD.

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Hungary "House of Music"

Architectural Design: Shosuke Fujimoto Architects

Sosuke Fujimoto's Hungarian "House of Music", a contemporary cultural landmark dedicated to music in a Budapest city park, recently officially opened to the public. Considered one of the most anticipated buildings of 2022, the Hungarian House of Music is perched among the woods of the park and has a large area of glass blocks that are horizontally contiguous, while also having a roof made of porous panels, thus making the building a continuation of the natural environment. The House of Music creates a one-of-a-kind artistic experience by blending architecture, curation and landscape, all of which will help create the best possible effect of music and sound.

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Shanghai Grand Opera House

Architectural design: Snøhetta Architects

The new Shanghai Grand Opera House is located in the Back Beach of the Expo, close to the banks of the Huangpu River. As an artistic temple for artists and the public, the new Shanghai Grand Opera House embodies a dynamic concept. Just as the body dance of an opera singer performing, or the dynamic unfolding of a fan, it is inspired by the exterior and interior space of the Grand Opera House, extending from the lobby of the foyer to the three auditoriums. The fan-like roof forms a human surface and the space under the roof, while the geometry of the roof naturally forms a spiral staircase, connecting the ground and the sky, and creating an excellent viewpoint facing the core city of Shanghai and the banks of the Huangpu River. The dynamic intent of the architectural design of the Grand Opera House also permeates its visual brand design, including a logo with a highly recognizable unfolding fan pattern, full of oriental regional characteristics, exquisite and concise.

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Old Vic Theatre, Bristol (renovation)

Architectural Design: Haworth Tompkins Architects

Haworth Tompkins Architects completed a new foyer and studio for the Grade I Listed Old Vic Theatre in Bristol, the oldest theatre of continuous work in the English-speaking world and the oldest theatre of continuous work in the English-speaking world. After five years of meticulous research, consultation, design and construction, the project aims to open the foyer area to a wider and more diverse audience and place the theatre at the centre of Bristol's public life and public spaces.

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Park Theater

Architectural Design: Renzo Piano

In 2013, the Italian city of Trento donated a renzo-Piano-designed theater to the city of L'Aquila, which was devastated by a devastating earthquake four years ago, to help rebuild the medieval city. The shape of the theater creates an illusion of instability, consisting of three interconnected cubes (1165 cubic meters in total) made entirely of wood.

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Suzhou Bay Grand Theatre

Architectural Design: Christian de Bauzanbach Architects

Located on the east bank of Taihu Lake in Wujiang, Suzhou, Suzhou Bay Cultural Center is a landmark project of the Suzhou Bay Launch Master Plan. In 2013, when Christian de Portzamparc, a Pritzker Prize-winning architect, first came to see the open space on East Taihu Lake, he was impressed by the open plains, endless water and sky, and the planning of Wujiang Taihu New Town was even more ambitious, and the scene of Manhattan-like prosperity jumped on the paper. The blueprint of the city is centered on a wide trail perpendicular to the shore of the lake, where people can meet, and the cultural center is in an important position on the shore of the lake at the end of the axis, and Bauzanbach realizes that there must be a bond to connect the elements of the site (city, sky, lake, people), and this is where the inspiration for "streamers" originated.

© Christian de Bauzanbach

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Opera House of The Art of Queen Sofia

Architectural Design: Santiago Calatrava Architects

The Valencian Opera is both a major performing arts facility in Valencia and a vibrant urban landmark that helps to consolidate and create vitality in the area where it was built. The programme consists mainly of: an auditorium with 1,706 seats for opera production, concerts and ballet; an chamber music hall with a capacity of 380 people for choral, theatrical and other events (lectures, conferences, etc.); and an auditorium with a capacity of up to 1,520 people, equipped with an advanced film and video projection system, allowing performances to be viewed using special video screens. Adjacent to the main building is a 400-seat experimental theatre and dance auditorium with gallery space for fine arts and decorative arts exhibitions.

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Nanchang Poly Theater

Architectural Design: PES Architects

The project creates a "cultural and business park" where a series of common living rooms provide a framework for creating intellectual, economic and social value. Borrowing the typological concept of traditional Chinese villages, the scheme is broken down into three blocks: the Grand Theatre/Opera House, the Multi-Purpose Theatre, and the Art Education and Exhibition Space. These are connected by a central passage that runs through the entire project area. These loose masses resemble three fish circling in a pond, allowing people to flow freely around them. The outer veil of the building's wooden curtain wall is a pixel matrix composed of ceramics and glass bricks with different degrees of translucency and opacity, which is a tribute to the ceramic manufacturing tradition in the Nanchang area.

© PES Architects

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Harpa Concert Hall, Iceland

Architectural Design: Henning Larsen Architects + Batteriid Architects

Located at the junction of land and sea, Iceland's "Harpa-Reykjavik Concert Hall and Congress Centre" is inspired by Iceland's beauty and the northern lights. Its sparkling appearance reflects the sky, the ocean, the city and the abundance of life. The project was designed by Henning Larsen Architects together with local design firm Batteríie Architects. The façade design was done by the architect in close collaboration with Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson and the German engineering firm GmbH.

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Public performance space in Chile

Architectural Design: The Scarcity and Creativity Studio

Sitio Eriazo is a group that specializes in the transformation and reconstruction of abandoned, useless urban spaces, and their members are mostly recent graduates from schools of drama, art and architecture, located in Valparaíso, Chile, where there are currently many junkyards and abandoned places. In 2014, the Sitio Eriazo team obtained permission to move to an empty site under development at Ecoado 428, using recycled waste to make tools and materials to create a flexible event space capable of accommodating theatres, circuses and musical performances, among others.

Theater of Cervantes, Mexico City

Architectural Design: Ensamble Studio

Dovela (wedge) is a type of bubble stone, known as the "Sun Stone". This Aztec basalt boulder, excavated in Plaza de la Constitución in Mexico City, was the inspiration for the theater. The building is built deep underground and has five floors downwards, and its main function consists of a theater hall and a lecture hall.

Andon Zako Çajupi Theater

Architectural Design: Bolles + Wilson

The Korcha Theater in Albania was originally a Soviet-era performance venue, but in this renovation, the theater has removed the classical Soviet architectural style and returned to the Balkan art déco with a Balkan style. The theme of the new plan for the façade of the theater is the face, with the sad and joyful mask representing theatrical art as the main body, and many ceramic three-dimensional portraits have been added.

Bamboo Forest Theater

Architectural Design: DnA Architects

Many ancient villages in Songyang County are growing moso bamboo forests that are full of mountains, which are spectacular from a distance, but there is no room for stay in the bamboo forest, so we want to combine the natural properties of moso bamboo, in the relatively flat field deep in the bamboo forest, the surrounding moso bamboo is pulled down in an orderly manner, enclosing a dome-like state, which forms a place to stay, using the growing bamboo to enclose the open rest space.

Maki Fumihiko 'Maezawa Residence' amphitheater + Shiraka-tei

Architectural design: APL design workshop

In Kurobe City, a small city facing the Sea of Japan, the Maezawa Garden House, designed by Shin Fumihiko, has a vast natural garden composed of undulating lawns and trees. In one corner of the garden there is an amphitheater that blends in with the surrounding landscape. The theater adopted the gentle lawn slope previously envisaged, consisting of a circular mound with a diameter of several meters and a semi-circular high slope with steps made of railway sleepers. There are circular mounds between the lawn slope and the semicircular high slope.

Songshan Shaolin Monk Flying Theater

Architectural Design: Mailitis Architects

The Shaolin Monk Flying Theater is located on the top of Cypress Hill in Dengfengsong Mountain, Henan, and the architectural concept takes into account the surrounding natural environment and historical heritage. The architectural form developed from two symbols– the mountain and the tree– and the theater could serve as a platform for any form of performance, especially an air show. Its construction process combines modern and ancient techniques – laser-cut steel as a structure that supports handmade steps made of stone from the local area.

Ulumbarra Theatre, Australia

Architectural Design: Y2 Architects

Sandhurst Prison was built in 1861 and overlooks the city as part of the municipal jurisdiction. Bendigo Senior High School revolves around a prison and had 11 to 12 students in a narrow teaching building around 1800. In 2006, the prison complex was converted into a university and a series of consultations began to attempt to transform this cultural heritage campus and community into a high-quality performing arts center.

24 cities, 24 theater buildings represented

© Duccio Malagamba

© Duccio Malagamba

© Duccio Malagamba

© Blue sky group

Shenzhen Opera House

Architectural Design: Jean Nouvel Architects

© Jean Nouvel Office

© Jean Nouvel Office

© Jean Nouvel Office

The Shed Arts Center

Architectural design: Diller Scofidio + Renfro Architects

© Iwan Baan

© TimothySchenck

© TimothySchenck

© Iwan Baan

© Iwan Baan

© Iwan Baan

Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Hall

Architectural Design: Zaha haddid Architects

Camar Theatre

Architectural Design: Kengo Kuma Architects

Harbin Opera House

Architectural Design: MAD Architects

Hungary "House of Music"

Architectural Design: Shosuke Fujimoto Architects

Shanghai Grand Opera House

Architectural design: Snøhetta Architects

Suzhou Bay Grand Theatre

Architectural Design: Christian de Bauzanbach Architects

© Christian de Bauzanbach

Opera House of The Art of Queen Sofia

Architectural Design: Santiago Calatrava Architects

© PES Architects

© PES Architects

© PES Architects

© PES Architects