Harbin Opera House

a cultural center of the future

My Role

Parametric Designer

Location

Harbin, Heilongjiang, China

Design Area

77 000 m²

Team

Ma Yansong
Yosuke Hayano
Dang Qun

“We envision Harbin Opera House as a cultural center of the future – a tremendous performance venue, as well as a dramatic public space that embodies the integration of human, art and the city identity, while synergistically blending with the surrounding nature.”

Ma Yansong

Situation:

The construction of the building was already in progress.
All the materials had been delivered to the construction site.
A team responsible for the construction of a wood-shell in the main hall announced inconsistencies in the project - they were not able to continue without more details.
The client and the construction company were getting worried about the opening date.

Image © Adam Mork

Task:

to understand the problem, and to see what could be done not to delay the deadline;
to ensure the client that opening date would not have to be moved;
to deliver a correct design solution as soon as possible;

Action:

Negotiate the rearrangement of the schedule with the construction company in order to obtain a few additional days to find a solution to the problem.
Analyze existing project documentation and find out how the issue could be solved in the simplest and most effective way.
Prepare a parametric program in Grasshopper that would allow for quick visualization of design options, and could be used on all elements containing issues.
Deliver corrected plans to the construction company as soon as possible.

Result:

The construction schedule was not interrupted, and the building was opened in time.