Go with the flow

The landmark Xiqu Centre is the first performing arts centre in Hong Kong’s new West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) dedicated to performing Xiqu, known as Chinese opera. Kvadrat upholstery and curtain textiles feature in the Grand Theatre.

Inside the 1,000-seat Grand Theatre, which is suspended 97 metres above the ground to isolate the auditorium from noise and vibration, the seats are upholstered with custom-made Cello, while the stage curtain is crafted from custom-made Bliss Plus.

With its brilliant façade and reinterpretation of the Chinese Moon Gate motif, Xiqu Centre creates a captivating gateway to WKCD, the city’s new precinct for arts and culture. In doing so, it illuminates how an ancient form of Chinese heritage can evolve with contemporary technology.

“Qi” or flow is expressed throughout the complex with curvilinear paths and forms designed around a vast circular atrium. For instance, the curvilinear façade, which comprises scaled aluminium fins, reimagines theatre drapes and the swaying folds of the performers’ costumes.