Location: Changsha, China.

Architect: Herve Tordjman Architecte Associes.

The building has a biomorphic surface with three elliptical and glass perforations, giving it the appearance of a living and mutating organism. The architecture resembles an embryonic structure during its first cell division. The dome is placed on an aquatic base, which appears impenetrable, but visitors can access it through a perforation in the base. Inside, the space is perceived in its entirety, and access to different functions of the complex is immediately identifiable through networks of walkways, corridors, and vertical circulation. The Opera, Library, and Museum are three independent buildings with separate functions, atmospheres, and life. The complex resembles a microcosm of a city with streets, squares, and buildings, and is a fractal object that encompasses and is encompassed.

Photo credit: Herve Tordjman Architect.