Project Name: Opera House, Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Project address: No. 6 Fenyang Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
Completion date: 2019
Materials used: Class A fireproof sound-absorbing panels, Large MLS diffusers (arc corners), Solid wood carved panels with sound-absorbing components, Natural solid wood veneer panels, Custom-shaped solid wood cover panels, and Column wood veneer.
Winego is responsible for providing a one-stop overall acoustic decoration solution for this project, including on-site scheme design, in-depth design, material supply, and installation implementation.
From the outside, it looks like a leading art ship, sounding the horn to sail towards the "sea of stars".
The continuous blue seats in the theater are like undulating waves, and the stars on the ceiling shine together.
The Shanghai Conservatory of Music Opera House is like a dream, like a slowly flowing galaxy, lingering with an atmosphere of eternity and classicism.
Sound is the soul of an opera house. An opera house is like a musical instrument. Its form will greatly determine the quality of the music people hear in it.
The Opera House of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, known as the "Shanghai Music Landmark", is also the first truly professional opera house in Shanghai. It was designed by French Pritzker Prize winner Christian de Portzamparc. With a construction area of 31,926 square meters, 3 underground floors and 5 above-ground floors, it consists of an opera hall with 1,200 seats and 4 rehearsal classrooms for opera, orchestra, chorus, and folk music, as well as a professional academic lecture hall.
Affiliated to the nationally renowned art school, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, it is located at the intersection of Huaihai Road and Fenyang Road in the center of Shanghai. It is not only the intersection of commercial and cultural axes, but also a gathering place for modern and historical buildings. Following the cultural context of the city, the opera house naturally and elegantly blends into this classic and romantic neighborhood.
Shanghai Conservatory of Music Opera House floor plan
Acoustic analysis
The site of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Opera House is only about 15 meters away from Metro Line 1. Eliminating the vibration and noise of the subway is the first problem to be solved in the project. The school requires that the opera house should be able to perform classical Western operas with high requirements for language clarity and short reverberation, as well as romantic operas with lyrical characteristics and longer reverberation time requirements, as well as other performances or conference conditions with different reverberation time requirements.
In order to make the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Opera House, this wonderful instrument, bring the best sound quality to the audience, the Bozambak Studio worked closely with professional acoustic institutions and enterprises. The entire auditorium and stage area were boldly placed on more than 100 sets of springs, almost completely isolating the vibration and noise of the subway. The Shanghai Conservatory of Music Opera House is also the first fully suspended structure opera house in China built with overall vibration isolation technology.
The auditorium is filled with acoustic mechanisms as far as the eye can see. The acoustic design of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Opera House has reached world-class standards, providing a perfect stage for dream display for operas, musicals, chamber symphonies, folk music and other performances. Therefore, Liao Changyong, president of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, calls it "the place where dreams begin."
Next, Xiaoyang will take you through the project overview to understand what materials Winego used in each space and the effects achieved.
Opera House
Materials used: Curved natural red oak veneer panel (orchestra pit), Natural red oak veneer grooved acoustic panel (orchestra pit back wall), Cherry solid wood cover (auditorium platform), Cherry wood veneer hanging board (inside of the Concert Hall Barrage)
The theater adopts a horseshoe-shaped classical design, so that the audience will not feel too far away from the stage even on the third floor; the stacked balcony dam has the function of acoustic reflection; the diamond-shaped perforated plate side walls of the auditorium are equipped with variable sound absorption devices, and the unique liftable ceiling is actually an acoustic reflection board, which can be raised and lowered to change the volume of the auditorium according to the needs of different performances, thereby changing the reverberation time.
The profound beauty, noble posture, shining bright light, and high-ceilinged space induce positive emotions in the audience, while the texture of solid wood makes people feel warm. The music flows freely in the air of the theater, creating a three-dimensional emotional expression.
Folk Music Rehearsal Hall/Orchestra Rehearsal Hall/Opera Rehearsal Hall/Chorus Rehearsal Hall
Materials used: Large MLS acoustic diffuser,Carved decorative panel , Curved wood veneer
The super-large arc-shaped MLS (Maximum Length Sequence) diffuser in the rehearsal hall is an industry-first product of Winego. Each plate needs to be precisely positioned. The staggered groove design is very design-conscious and can evenly distribute the primary sound reflection to the entire pit, making the sound quality of the entire theater full, clear and three-dimensional, immersing the audience.
Lecture Hall
Materials used: Natural red oak veneer grooved acoustic panels, Ash veneer grooved acoustic panels, Carved decorative panel, Natural red oak veneer panels, Grade A fireproof ash veneer skirting
The walls of the lecture hall are made of grooved acoustic panels and diamond-shaped perforated panels. Sound-absorbing cotton is filled between the back of the diamond-shaped perforated panels and the wall to effectively absorb direct sound, control the reverberation time in the hall, and make the language clearer.
Public Areas
Materials used: Strip wood veneer, Curved wood veneer, U-shaped light trough
The two pillars that reach the sky in the lobby on the first floor are majestic. From a distance, they are symmetrical but have different shapes, which gives them a dynamic sense of design. From a close distance, they have uniform colors, without nail holes or defects.
In order to isolate the surrounding noise transmitted through air and solid, the theater adopts a "box in box" structure, that is, there is an outer wall outside the inner wall. There is a cavity between the two walls to enhance the sound insulation ability of the wall. The outer wall is constructed with different materials and structures according to different locations and sound insulation needs.
The exterior wall panels are all constructed using traditional Chinese mortise and tenon joints, and with Winego's mature arc-shaped craftsmanship, no nails are used, and the joints are barely noticeable. The large, continuous wall with no color difference or nail holes makes the theater look majestic.
Auditorium Passageway Gate
Materials used: Curved natural red oak veneer panels, Natural red oak veneer grooved acoustic panels, Natural red oak veneer and ash veneer grooved acoustic panels, Natural red oak veneer skirtings
(Photo taken during the construction process)
VIP Lounge
Material used: Cherry wood veneer
Opera rehearsal room in basement
Materials used: Grade A fireproof ash wood veneer skirting
Control Room
Material used: Natural red oak veneer skirting
Workshop production
The project has extremely high requirements for acoustic decorative materials. The materials are strictly checked and controlled at every level during the production process to meet the fire prevention, environmental protection, moisture-proof requirements while meeting the corresponding acoustic coefficient requirements.
Site Survey
Many materials in the project were customized by Winego for the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Opera House, and precise positioning was required. Our design team personally went to the site to inspect the progress, guide the mold laying, and communicate closely and orderly for the quality and progress of the project.
After the project was completed, the contractor and the owner highly recognized Winego’s product quality, technical expertise, and dedicated and responsible service attitude: “It was a very correct choice to cooperate with Winego!”
Great truths are always simple and enlightenment comes naturally. The Shanghai Conservatory of Music Opera House presented us a wonderful practice of Christian de Portzamparc's condensed architectural ideas. Winego also successfully completed the transformation from pieces of board to a beautiful sound field.