SANAA and Jean Nouvel win major Maritime Museum and Opera House competitions in Shenzhen

The winning design competition entries have been revealed for two of ten new major cultural landmarks in Shenzhen, China. According to the Shenzhen Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau, Ateliers Jean Nouvel's proposal "Light of the Sea" was the first-prize winner in the Shenzhen Opera House contest, while the Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA-designed "Clouds on the Sea" submission won the competition for the Shenzhen Maritime Museum.

The judging panel for the maritime museum praised the design's concept of a floating architecture that enables the museum to harmoniously blend with the mountain and sea, referencing the landscape of the Dapeng Peninsula where the structure will be located. The museum will house dedicated spaces for exhibition, collection, storage, technology, education, public services, administration, and research.

The new Shenzhen Opera House aims to become a major landmark in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and is considered the most significant project of the 10 planned cultural facilities in the city.

Located in Shekou, the site will extend into the sea resembling a peninsula, overlooking Shenzhen Bay Highway Bridge and the skyline of Futian CBD to the east, Hong Kong to the south across the sea, and Dananshan Mountain/Xiaonanshan Mountain to the west.

The allocated site measures 330,699 square meters (3.56 million square feet) and will accommodate 222,000 square meters (2.39 million square feet) of construction space for the opera house. Construction is expected to begin this year and conclude in 2024.