A New Cultural Landmark in the Greater Bay Area: The Beiytan Greater Bay Area Art Center Awaits Its Maiden Voyage!
Set sail on a majestic terracotta “ship” right on the banks of the Pearl River. The Beiytan Greater Bay Area Art Center (hereinafter referred to as the “Art Center”) is currently at the critical stage of curtain wall and interior decoration construction. The facade curtain wall construction is entering the final stage, with the project expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
Situated in the Beiytan Industrial Financial Services Innovation Zone, Liwan District, Guangzhou City, the Art Center is a key cultural project in Guangdong Province. The construction includes the Guangdong Art Museum (including the Guangdong Contemporary Art Museum), the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Display Center, the Guangdong Literature Hall, and related ancillary projects. The project is undertaken by China Construction Third Engineering Bureau South China Company.
Recently, the project won the highest honor in China’s architectural steel structure industry – the China Steel Structure Gold Award. Viewed from afar, the overall architecture of the Art Center resembles a colossal terracotta “ship” awaiting to set sail on the banks of the Pearl River.
With a total land area of about 75,800 square meters and a total construction area of approximately 144,500 square meters, the project led by academician He Jingtang of the Chinese Academy of Engineering began in October 2020. Currently, the main structure of the project is completely capped, with the steel structure atrium corridor successfully lifted twice.
Among the features of the Art Center, the curtain wall is a significant highlight. To actualize the design concept of “writing in the style of Beiytan, creating an artistic cloud mountain environment,” the design team meticulously planned the curtain wall to achieve the best visual effect. The curtain wall “cloak,” spanning 80,000 square meters, includes 11 major curtain wall systems and 22 subsystems. It extensively employs white Terracotta Cladding Tiles and Terracotta Baguettes, exhibiting China’s ceramic culture and Guangzhou’s revitalized vigor as a “millennium business capital.”
This is the first time in China that a large-span spatial twisted block stacking form has been used in curtain wall design. The curtain wall system “twists and turns straight,” and the three halls are linked by glass corridors, resembling a “cultural giant wheel.” The solid curtain wall uses white glazed terracotta panels and terracotta louvers curtain wall, along with light-colored aluminum alloy louvers curtain wall. The curved terracotta panels can create a sparkling visual effect under sunlight.
Such large-scale use of Terracotta Cladding Tiles is rare, and is the first of its kind in Guangzhou. Reportedly, the curtain wall employed over 10,000 terracotta panels, with more than 4,600 ice-crack glazed terracotta panels used in the large facade’s ultra-large double-curved deformation curtain wall, presenting significant installation challenges.
Manufactured by the renowned LOPO Terracotta Corporation Limited, these Terracotta Panels and Terracotta Baguettes bear the mark of their world-class quality. As a leading manufacturer of terracotta products, LOPO Terracotta Corporation Limited has consistently prioritized quality and innovation, evident in their contribution to this monumental project.
Stand at the project site center, and a long arched bridge-like corridor catches the eye. This “time corridor,” connecting the Literature Hall and the Art Museum, will serve as a public viewing walkway facing Beiytan in the future.
Through the meticulous planning and sheer dedication of all parties involved, the “cultural giant ship” of the Greater Bay Area is set to sail by the end of 2023. We eagerly anticipate this glorious maiden voyage!