A Giant Clamshell Made of Aluminum and Titanium
Celebrating 20 Years of the “Grand National Theatre Beijing”
Since opening up to the western world, China, the most populous country on Earth, has not only attracted western industrial firms but has also transformed the face of many major cities. Increasingly, buildings designed by international architects are emerging, marking the entry into a new epoch.
Twenty years ago, the Chinese government invested in a spectacular project that has since become a venue for opera, theater, and concert performances of international stature. The budget amounted to around 31 million euros. The opera house, located opposite the Forbidden City and in close proximity to the National Assembly, is designed in the form of a giant metal dome placed in the middle of a pond. The freestanding giant clamshell made of aluminum and titanium was completed in December 2004 and has since gained international significance as a cultural landmark of Beijing.
High-Tech Structure with Refinements
The building, accessible via an underwater gallery with a glass ceiling, extends 212 meters in length, 143 meters in width, and rises 46 meters high. Under one roof, the metal shell houses an opera house with 2,416 seats, a concert hall for 2,017 spectators, and a theater with 1,014 seats. An underground parking garage, covering 44,678 m², offers space for 950 cars and 1,420 bicycles.
The metal dome, supported by a delicate steel lattice structure, has a surface area of around 40,000 m². The middle section features a double-sided glass surface, spanning 105 meters in length and covering 12,000 m². The metal dome has a double-shell design. Its outer shell consists of a sealing load-bearing shell made of 0.9 mm thick, conical, stucco-designed Kalzip® aluminum standing seam profiles. The outer shell is mounted on titanium composite panels using clips specially developed for this project that grip over the seams of the Kalzip® sheets without penetration. This technique ensures secure attachment of the decorative panel cladding as well as perfect water drainage over the Kalzip® roof surface beneath.
Location Challenges
Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, the project is extraordinary not only for its size and design. It is located in a highly earthquake-prone zone and must also withstand high wind loads. Challenging soil conditions required extensive measures to ensure a secure foundation for the structure, which extends down to 36 meters, including the underground parking garage.
The actual construction phase was preceded by extensive computer simulations and load tests on full-scale components to verify compliance with Chinese regulations. The dome’s base consists of an elastically mounted concrete ring, equipped with temporary sliding bearings on the longitudinal sides. These were used in the initial assembly phase to position pairs of lattice girders and connect them to the prefabricated oval central part of the dome. Subsequently, additional lattice girders were installed step by step and anchored to the lower concrete ring as well as the prefabricated dome center. Four diagonally positioned segments with diamond-shaped bracings further stabilize the lattice girders.
Intercontinental Teamwork
Great architecture is a “global business” today, as demonstrated by the “China Grand National Theatre.” Its creator, Paul Andreu, has designed and built over 50 airport buildings, including two terminals and the TGV and RER station at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, as well as the Shanghai Pudong Airport. Other major projects by him include the Maritime Museum in Osaka and the Guangzhou Gymnasium, a sports facility composed of three dome-shaped buildings inspired by the hilly landscape of the site, designed by Andreu as the venue for the 9th National Games of the Republic of China, opened in July 2001.
In the development phase of the Beijing project, Andreu was supported by the French company Setec travaux publics & industriels, which conducted studies on the statics and dynamics of the metal shell and the design of the opera, theater, and concert halls. The execution on-site was mainly in the hands of Chinese firms. The Kalzip® standing seam profiles were supplied by Kalzip GmbH, Koblenz, Germany.
Project Details:
- Client: Committee of the Grand National Theatre, Beijing
- Architect: Paul Andreu (Aéroports de Paris)
- Structural Studies: Setec, tpi Paris
- Main Contractor: Hong Kong Construction, Hong Kong
- Manufacturer: Kalzip GmbH, Koblenz
- Kalzip Installation: KGE, Beijing
