Saturday, October 19th, started early – the day was to be quite intense with many places to visit and things to see. In fact it was very busy – we saw the Guangzhou Opera House by Zaha Hadid, the GuangdongMuseum by Rocco Design and Taikoo Hui by Arquitectonica, all of which were explained to a high level of detail.
The staff from Rocco Design presented the Museum’s complicated and elaborate structure which, from the outside, makes the building look quite humble – yet still intriguing. The team members did an excellent job of explaining the essence of the building, which is full of dynamic cut outs, and this made the Museum visit particularly educational.
A major aspect of this trip was the chance to compare different buildings – as well as Guangzhou city planning in general, with many of the ‘futuristic’ buildings located in one area. The Rocco design and Zaha Hadid’s Opera House work as ‘opposites’: sharp, straight lines versus Zaha’s trademark sinuous curves, as well as different structural rationales and construction techniques. Taikoo Hui also seemed to function quite well, urbanistically.
After the building visits, the roof top of the Mandarin Oriental hotel shopping mall was the perfect place to rest after the long day. The attendees are now looking forward to the next trip and new places to explore.
AIA members who attended this tour earned 4.5 LUs toward their mandatory annual AIA Continuing Education requirements.
Writer: Olga Cech
