"Materiality carries symbolic weight in Yixing, a region known for its pottery and situated near dense bamboo forests. GOA translated these two local elements, clay and bamboo, into contemporary, weather-resistant architectural forms. For the 'clay' volumes shaping the land-art geometry, carved concrete was CNC-processed to control its massing before craftsmen sculpted the surfaces by hand on site. 'Bamboo' appears in the central stage installation and in the aviaries' facades."
"Instead of natural fiber, the team used high-density polyethylene to simulate woven bamboo textures, combining components in three tones to form softly mottled surfaces. The sloped audience terrain hides a network of cast-in drainage channels that merge with the valley's natural flood pathways. The sculpted 'clay' landforms contain cavities for acoustic equipment supporting the multimedia effects of the show. For efficiency and precision, the aviaries use prefabricated light-steel components combined from three standardized panel types."
Earth Valley Theater sits in a valley at Yaohu Town, Yixing, Jiangsu, spanning 9,200 square meters and serving as a shared performance environment for humans and birds. The open-air theater combines architecture, landscape design, avian behavior, and multimedia performance into a single system for the production Dancing with the Birds. Clay and bamboo traditions informed material choices: carved, CNC-processed concrete forms emulate clay land-art volumes while high-density polyethylene simulates woven bamboo on stage and aviary facades. Sloped audience terraces conceal cast-in drainage channels that tie into natural flood paths. Sculpted cavities house acoustic equipment, and aviaries employ prefabricated light-steel panels for efficiency and precision.
Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine
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