Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been named winner of the competition to design the Jinghe New City Culture & Art Centre. Jinghe New City is growing as a science and technology hub north of Xi’an in China's Shaanxi province. Supported by new scientific research institutes and driven by environmental considerations, the city is becoming a centre for developing industries focussing on new energy and materials, artificial intelligence and aerospace. Echoing the meandering valleys carved by the Jinghe River through the mountains and landscapes of Shaanxi province, the Jinghe New City Culture & Art Centre is located within the Jinghe Bay Academician Science & Technology Innovation district of the city. The centre’s design intertwines with the city’s existing urban masterplan to connect the new multimedia library to the north of Jinghe Avenue with the new performing arts theatre, multi-function halls, studios and exhibition galleries to the south via elevated courtyards, gardens and paths that span the avenue’s eight lanes of traffic below.

With gently sloping ramps providing a gateway to the district’s network of elevated public walkways, the centre weaves through the city to link its commercial and residential districts with the parks and river to the south, while also bringing the city’s residents into the heart of the building and providing direct access to the planned metro station. Organized as a series of flowing volumes, layers and surfaces interconnecting with courtyards and landscapes, the design defines a sequence of interior and exterior cultural and recreational spaces for its community. The multimedia library’s terraces overlook its full-height atrium with diffusing skylights to provide a variety of public reading zones for individual and collective research. The library will integrate print publications together with immersive virtual reality technologies that expand the boundaries of learning and enrich the exchange of knowledge. Located on the southern side of the avenue, the performing arts theatre accommodates 450 people and can be adapted for many types of events. The multi-function hall, studios and galleries are stacked and arranged around the theatre to share public areas designed to enhance accessibility and inter-disciplinary collaboration. Solar irradiation analysis and responsive site planning optimise the centre’s use of natural ventilation and daylight in the mild temperate climate of Jinghe New City. Incorporating photovoltaic panels for on-site power generation together with rainwater collection, the centre’s construction will prioritise locally-produced materials with a high recycled content to achieve a 3-star certification in China’s Green Building program.