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National Center for Performing Arts

The National Grand Theatre, located in the centre of Beijing, approximately 500 metres away from Tiananmen Square, is a real island of culture in the centre of a lake. The large grey titanium ellipsoidal dome has a width of between 144 and 213 metres and a height of 46 metres, and is divided into two by a curved glass cover. There are three auditoriums inside the building: one is dedicated to opera, one to concerts and one to theatrical events. There are also several exhibition spaces which are open to the public.

The internal areas which are open to the public seem to have taken their inspiration from the spaces frequented by citizens: streets, squares, commercial services, restaurants, rest areas and waiting rooms.

A lounge on the top floor, just under the roof of the building, offers audiences and visitors alike a magnificent view of the city, which can now be rediscovered from a new perspective.

iGuzzini illuminazione worked with Paul Andreu and the lighting designer Kaoru Mende to create artificial lighting in the public spaces and the foyer. The relationship between the building and the landscape by day and by night was a fundamental consideration in the design process. By day, the building is pierced by light, living and changing as a result of variations in natural light; by night, artificial lighting escapes outwards from the central transparent part of the building and draws attention to the National Grand Theatre as part of the urban landscape. Two types of fixture were predominantly used within these areas: Le Perroquet and Light Up. The Le Perroquet fixtures were fitted along the upper outer edges of the buildings used as theatre, opera and concert venues. They use 150 W HQI lamps, while the Light Up fixtures used in the rear part of the theatre and concert halls emphasise the colour and warmth of the wood covering the walls. Several Zoom projectors were also used to light the pieces of art positioned along the corridors.