Work starts on 5 new landmark buildings for Yichang
By Tan Maolin, Yichang International Communication Studio
Construction kicks off Tuesday on five striking new city landmarks that will reinforce Yichang’s art, science and exhibition center credentials.
The total investment in these five new landmark buildings – the Yichang Grand Theater, Yichang Archives, Yichang Art Museum, Yichang Science and Technology Museum and Yichang Exhibition Center – is a whopping 6.4 billion yuan, not far off a billion U.S. dollars.
According to city officials, all five projects will be completed by the end of 2024.
The first of the new complexes is the 70,000 square meter Yichang Grand Theater, located on the east side of the Yangtze River Bridge. Inspired by Yichang’s landscape of rivers and mountains, it will house a large theater, a multi-purpose theater, a small theater and a concert hall.
Yichang Grand Theater
Designed by Li Hu's team from Beijing Open Architecture Design & Consulting
Next up is the new 32,000 square meter Yichang Archives Building in the fast-developing area around Yichang East train station. Shaped like one of the seals that are used in China to mark important documents and pieces of art, the building incorporates the theme of “Ba culture and Seal of Chu”.
Yichang Archives, designed by CITIC Architectural Design and Research Institute Co.
Lovers of visual art will be excited by the new 30,000 square meter, cloud-shaped Yichang Art Museum to be built on Xiba, an island in the Yangtze river. The design team – which includes English architect Sir Peter Cook, Wu Weishan, Curator of the National Art Museum of China, and Zhuang Weimin, Dean of the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University – has incorporated an eco-friendly, low-carbon approach into the futuristic design.
Yichang Art Museum, designed by Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Planning and Design Institute Co.
Fourth on the list is the Yichang Exhibition Center next to the Science and Technology Museum. This 117,000 square meter building will have five exhibition areas, and also offer conference and business functions.
Yichang Exhibition Center, designed by CITIC Architectural Design & Research Institute Co.
Last but not least, the new 34,000 square meter Yichang Science and Technology Museum will be built on the west side of the Olympic Sports Center in Yichang City’s Dianjun District. It will be an educational resource for children and students and showcase the world's cutting-edge technology.
Yichang Science and Technology Museum, designed by CITIC Architectural Design & Research Institute Co.
These flagship buildings – which will further transform the city and add to its renown – constitute a new chapter in Yichang’s bold vision for its future.
