overlooking quanhai bay and the south china sea in shenzhen, the bao?an cultural complex is a masterplan of buildings designed by rocco design architects associates. the project creates a new public campus for the city while mediating between the coastal landscape and the more densely developed commercial areas further inland. the 110,000-square-meter scheme?which includes a library, cultural centre, as well as a performing arts venue?won an invited international competition. the library and the youth palace and cultural centre were completed as part of the first phase. an additional performing arts centre is currently under construction and will complete in 2020, finishing the development.

 
 
rocco design architects associates places the three buildings aligned on a central axis that extends from the inner city to the coastline. a series of public plazas interwoven in between join the structures into a cohesive cultural campus, offer new public gathering spaces overlooking the water and link the city and the coastline with a sequence of indoor and outdoor spaces.
 
 
the buildings? facades are designed as organic forms inspired by southern chinese artistic traditions. the building?s exterior skin reference  wood and ivory carving. each is encased in a perforated skin system that is modulated in different ways, creating a visually unified complex while defining distinct identities for the three structures.

 
 
closest to the water is the library, a 31,853-square...