Pfeiffer, a Perkins Eastman Studio, working with Perkins Eastman’s Shanghai office, won the international competition for the design of the Wuxi Taihu Bay International Cultural Arts Center, located in Wuxi, a city 90 miles west of Shanghai. The design concept for the 1 million-sf project is Moonrise. The moon as leitmotif recurs throughout the site, most prominently in the central element, the vineyard-style Symphony Hall, and at its center, the stage, located directly under an oculus, the entire project’s focal point. With acoustic excellence as the soul of the design and the moon as metaphor, the Center is designed to surprise and delight, from the Symphony Hall at the northeast to the Art Exchange Building at the southwest—housing a performance venue, jazz and comedy clubs, retail, dining, art galleries and artist live/work spaces—all joined by a grand Piazza, offering an array of experiences: a riverside walk and amphitheater, luxuriant green spaces, a dramatic fountain with sculptural stairs, and a rooftop promenade, all conceived with the forethought of accessibility and sustainability. Completion of the project is scheduled for December 31, 2025, when the Cultural Center will be inaugurated with a New Year’s Eve concert in the Symphony Hall.

Project Data

Active
1 million sf on 16 acres

Program & Highlights

1,500-seat symphony hall
500-seat concert hall
Large rehearsal hall
Outdoor amphitheater
Flexible multipurpose performance space
Art gallery
Artist live/work spaces
Retail
Restaurants
Piazza
Riverwalk
Park
Fountain feature

Collaborators

Associate Architect, Structural Engineer, MEP, Sustainability: TJAD
Acoustics : Muller-BBM
Landscape Architect: Aura Landscape
Water Feature: Sushui
Lighting: Arup
Signage: Dongdoa