With its prominent location, the Xiqu Centre will act as a gateway to the wider district. Accordingly, a large area of ground-level public realm is provided within the building footprint.
This article discusses some of the technical challenges in the design of the building structure – prompted by its unusual arrangement and constrained site – and how they were overcome. In particular, it will focus on the design and construction of the 1073-seat Grand Theatre spanning 37m over a column free public plaza.