The Suzhou Bay Cultural Center is part of a series of iconic projects initiated by the city of Suzhou, China, through the Wujiang Lakefront Masterplan. On the shores of Lake Tai, architect Christian de Portzamparc discovered the desert plain in 2013 while admiring the plan. of the future city. It was clear that the meeting of this axis with the large lake would be an exceptional place, and it was in this location, on each side of the axis, that the cultural center would be located during the architectural competition.

According to the ArchDaily portal, the program had two parts: the music and performance halls on one side of the axis, and the museums and educational spaces on the other. Two wings would appear at the pedestrian axis's arrival at the lake. The architect then chose to connect these two wings on the roof to create a huge arch-shaped opening to the sky.

In the north wing, one enters the large lobby gallery, which is the entrance to the opera house and the Chinese opera house. From this gallery one ascends to the music conservatory and the 360° cinema. To the south, the wing divides into two museum buildings: a history museum and a city museum with educational spaces and, finally, a conference and ceremonial center.

The cultural center creates a new landscape by connecting water, sky and city in a play of iridescent reflections created by this metal ribbon (in steel and aluminum) that stretches over a span of 500 meters. From the urban axis, the ballet of the ribbon can be seen in curves and counter curves.

Its lines rise, protect, frame the sky and are reminiscent of the ribbons used in traditional Suzhou theater. But you can also climb this ballet: the ribbon has a 40-meter path from which you can see the entire city and the lake.