upside down program – ‘private’ circulation becoming ‘public’ circulation:
In an increasingly privatised China, culture centres provide a rare opportunity to bring services, events and public space to all citizens.
The brief described a building dominated by the introverted programs of theatres, the only active public space being a public plaza. This project explores the idea of extending the vibrancy of the plaza into the building in order to give it a
raw, dynamic and public spirit.
By turning the program upside down, with the theatres on top, it became possible to make the ground floor highly permeable and allow the plaza to extend into the sheltered heart of the building – private circulation becomes ‘public’ circulation. This ‘public’ circulation space is extending to the upper levels so that the public life of the culture centre becomes fully exposed, inviting visitors to explore many floors and witness all the programs on offer.