User-friendly design for Chinese opera centre at city's arts hub
Hong Kong-born Canadian architect Bing Thom says arts hub facility will meet needs of elderly
The Xiqu Centre for Chinese opera in the arts hub should be a user-friendly venue for both performers and the audience, especially the elderly, says a Hong Kong-born Canadian architect in his 70s who reconnected with his birthplace this week.
The first venue due to be completed at the West Kowloon Cultural District will cost HK$2.7 billion and take the shape of a lantern designed by Bing Thom Architects of Vancouver and Hong Kong's Ronald Lu & Partners.
Describing actors of the opera as nomadic, who go from theatre to theatre, Bing Thom - as a clarinet player himself - said he understood the subtle needs of artists.
"The dressing room to artists is home away from home, so the comfort of the room is important, as is their journey from the dressing room to the edge of the stage, before they step on the stage," Thom said. "Their performance will be affected if they do not feel relaxed."
Apart from designing a wider corridor and bigger doors to accommodate artists wearing costumes that include helmets and flags, he also ensures that the solemnity of the performers is maintained.
"The audience should be sitting flat and looking straight across the stage or you will foreshorten the body [of the actors]."
Facilities in the centre will be linked with elevators, allowing the elderly to reach two theatres easily. Space at ground level is reserved for a courtyard.