Double pebble
A curving design.
Meihe Chen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · zengsx — CC BY-SA 3.0 · zengsx — CC BY-SA 3.0 · 钉钉 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · そらみみ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 流風 — CC BY-SA 3.0
One of the best-known works of the Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, an opera house opened on 9 May 2010 near the Pearl River in Zhujiang New Town, after her design won a 2002 international competition against some of the world's leading architects. The design is known as the «double pebble»: the two neighbouring buildings look like stones smoothed by the river, with curving lines and sloping surfaces almost free of sharp corners, while the main auditorium's ceiling is scattered with tiny lights like a starry sky. It stages opera, ballet, classical music and traditional Chinese performances, and looks onto the wide Huacheng Square, the modern city's heart, lined with skyscrapers and the Guangdong Museum, with the Canton Tower across the river. Seeing the building from outside is free, and performances are ticketed at varying prices. It's at its best after sunset, when the square, the skyscrapers and the Canton Tower all light up.
A curving design.
A starry ceiling.
The city's heart.
Huacheng Square, Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou
The Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid; it opened on 9 May 2010, and its design is known as the «double pebble».
