Project Name: Nanchang Grand Theatre

Location: Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China

Design Team: PES-Architects

Building Area: 45,000 m²

Completion Date: 2024

Photographers: Yuhao Ding, Virgile Bertrand

Feature：

Project - Finnish architecture firm PES-Architects has unveiled the Nanchang Grand Theatre, a striking cultural complex in China's Jiangxi Province that masterfully blends traditional materials with contemporary design. The 45,000-square-metre structure stands as a translucent ceramic-clad cube beside the scenic Jiulong Lake, serving as the cultural heart of Nanchang's rapidly developing South New City district.

The building's most distinctive feature is its innovative facade system - a delicate "veil" of China White ceramic louvers that draws inspiration from the region's celebrated rice porcelain tradition. This sophisticated exterior envelope, engineered through advanced structural modeling and supported by steel cables, creates a dynamic interplay between interior and exterior spaces while providing practical solar shading.

Housing a 1,600-seat opera hall, a 450-seat multipurpose venue, and a cultural centre, the complex is organized around a central public passage that functions like a traditional Chinese street. This thoroughfare not only connects the building to its surroundings but also animates the space with cafes, exhibitions, and events throughout the day.

The interior spaces showcase a thoughtful material palette that combines tradition with innovation. The performance venues are clad in fireproof stained bamboo, with the main opera hall featuring organically shaped, acoustically optimized surfaces inspired by Jiulong Lake's rippling waters. This careful attention to materiality extends throughout the project, where bamboo and terracotta finishes create warm, tactile environments.

Sustainability is integrated into every aspect of the design, from the ceramic facade's passive cooling properties to rooftop solar collectors and rainwater harvesting systems. Completed in 2024, the Nanchang Grand Theatre represents a sophisticated fusion of cultural symbolism, environmental consciousness, and architectural innovation, establishing itself as a new paradigm for contemporary performing arts venues in China.

Design Team - Founded in 1968 by Professor Pekka Salminen in Helsinki, PES-Architects has established itself as one of Finland's most internationally acclaimed architectural practices. Under Salminen's visionary leadership, the firm has garnered worldwide recognition for its innovative approach to complex architectural challenges, particularly in performance venues and cultural facilities.

The practice's portfolio demonstrates exceptional versatility across typologies, from the award-winning Fuzhou Strait Culture and Arts Center - recipient of the prestigious China Civil Engineering Zhan Tianyou Award - to the technologically advanced Helsinki Airport Terminal expansions. Their work is characterized by sophisticated material applications, as evidenced in their pioneering use of ceramic systems and sustainable design solutions.

With headquarters in Helsinki employing over 100 professionals from diverse international backgrounds, and a wholly-owned subsidiary established in Shanghai in 2011, PES-Architects has successfully bridged European and Asian architectural traditions. The firm's integrated design approach encompasses architecture, interior design, urban planning, structural engineering, and project management, with a particular emphasis on Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainable technologies.

Notable recent works include the Nanchang Grand Theatre (2024) and Wuxi Grand Theater, both exemplifying the firm's commitment to cultural architecture that harmoniously blends contextual sensitivity with technical innovation. Their projects consistently demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of performance space acoustics, sustainable building systems, and innovative material applications.