Civic & Cultural – PLP Architecture

The Nexus, Pearl River Delta, China

PLP has unveiled a masterplan and architectural design for a large complex at the heart of a metropolitan centre in the Pearl River Delta. Located at a very prominent junction within the central business district, the project comprises four buildings: the Nexus Building – a 600m office and hotel tower; the Platform for Contemporary Arts – a performing arts complex; the LZ Park Tower – a 300m office tower; and the Concourse – a large scale retail and leisure facility.

National Theatre of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

Won in open international competition, the design for the new National Theatre of Cyprus builds upon a public realm strategy that was created by the same design team in their earlier project for the neighbouring Cyprus House of Representatives. The Cyprus Theatre Organization regards the project as a catalyst for theatre arts in Cyprus, “…from this building, a momentum will emerge so that the idea of theatre will rise in the Cypriot peoples’ minds.” – Board of Directors’ Chairman Demetris Karagianis.

Provinciehuis, The Hague, The Netherlands

Provinciehuis, the headquarters of the regional government of South Holland, lies just outside the historic core of the city on a prominent corner site at the Zuid-Hollandlaan and Konigskade junction overlooking the renowned Malieveld Park.

CentreStage, Perth, Australia

CentreStage is located in the heart of Perth, near the city’s major cultural facilities and adjacent to the Northbridge district, a vibrant part of the city’s downtown area.

The entire project is covered with an ETF dome, whose dynamic shape will become a focus on the Perth skyline. The radiant egg-shaped volume invites visitors into the centre, the core of which is carefully designed for optimal interaction between audience and performer. The audience is arranged in a gently curved form to focus attention on the stage.

House of Representatives, Nicosia, Cyprus

The design for the new Cyprus Parliament House was won in an international competition. The site is at Monument Square, on the route from Nicosia’s Old City to the palace of the Cypriot President.

The scheme responds boldly to its elevated location, drawing on the ancient Greek imagery of the agora – the market and place for public assembly – and the amphitheatre, the place where debates take place. The architecture of the building is informed by the extreme climate of Cyprus, where summer heat can be extreme. The floor of the debating chamber, sunk into the hill, is contained in a circular drum which is at the heart of the complex. The drum is set on axis with Monument Square. Its double wall is clad in alabaster panels, wood screens and clear glass. The layered wall controls the admission of light and heat. Symbolically, the glowing drum acts as a beacon on the Nicosia skyline.

Yuyao International City of Culture and Arts, Yuyao, China

PLP Architecture won the competition for the masterplanning design of the Yuyao Internation City of Culture and Arts. The birthplace of Hemudu protoculture, and hosting important archaeological sites dating back to the Yue Kin Celadon culture and Yao River ancient culture – Yuyao is one of the most historically significant cities in China.

The project accommodates 25 museums and performing arts centres, research and education facilities, an artist village, commercial facilities, cultural retail, hotels and a residential zone.

New Tchaikovsky Theatre, Perm, Russia

The city of Perm is, after St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia’s third great city of music. Its existing ballet and opera theatre is a 19th century interior enclosed within a classical facade built in the 1950s. The building is set within a park in the middle of the city.

De Hoftoren – The Hague, The Netherlands

Chosen through an international competition, the design features a single tower and low bar building clad in vertical slabs of light sand coloured stone. The design has become the centrepiece of the city’s urban redevelopment near the Central Station. The project encompasses offices, a conference centre, a restaurant and a ground floor arcade looking onto a central courtyard garden. The green of the central garden courtyard, bounded by the tower, unifies the scheme.