Project Spotlight January 14, 2026

Shanghai’s West Bund gets a new theater, bringing performing arts to the banks of the Huangpu

A stage for global exchange and local expression, the theater combines architectural elegance with a vibrant cultural program.

Modern white building with curves and angles, set behind a paved plaza and grassy area on a winter day.

Photos: RAWVISION studio

West Bund Grand Theatre

Project

Shanghai, China

Location

Shanghai West Bund Development Group

Client

249,470 ft² (23,177 m²)

Size

Schmidt Hammer Lassen, part of Perkins&Will

The West Bund Grand Theatre is located on the banks of the Huangpu River, just south of Shanghai’s city center in the Xuhui District. This landmark riverside venue supports a variety of performances and other cultural events, representing a concerted effort by the Shanghai Municipal Government to create an iconic, world-class urban waterfront.

Formerly an early 20th-century industrial zone, the site is guided by a master plan that integrates existing structures, new buildings, and walkable landscapes. Inspired by the flowing waters of the Huangpu, the building’s sweeping, organic form wraps a 1,600-seat auditorium and a 200-seat black-box theater for experimental performances. The venue contributes to making the West Bund one of Asia’s largest and most celebrated cultural destinations, where performances, public art, and community life come together.

Curved building with sleek white facade and people walking outside on clear day.

Modern riverside building with barge and skyline in the background.

Modern riverside building with barge and cityscape in the background.

Aerial view of a waterfront modern architectural complex near a river.

Modern theater interior from stage view, dark with warm lighting and warm-toned paneling

Dramatically curved interior with light wood and a person on a balcony.

Modern building interior with people walking by large windows overlooking city skyline.

Modern interior with people walking beside large windows overlooking a cityscape.

Modern architectural interior with high ceilings and curved wooden walls.

Modern architectural interior with wooden panels and high ceilings, people walking through.

Children’s choir practice in bright music room with piano and instructor, city view outside.

Children's choir practice in a bright, modern rehearsal room.

Two dancers performing in a modern studio with panoramic city views.

Dancers in a modern studio with cityscape view through large windows.

Modern skyline with waterfront buildings, including a white curved building in the center at sunset.

Aerial view of modern city skyline along a river at dusk with skyscrapers and cargo ships.

Aerial view of a modern city skyline by a river, with skyscrapers and cargo ships.

The building embraces the industrial history of the West Bund with its vast scale, openness, and flowing forms, reflecting the port’s energy.

The undulating lines of the façade echo the ripples of the Huangpu’s waters.

Conceived as one half of a yin-yang pairing, the theater sits alongside the newly opened West Bund Dome, a former cement factory transformed into a cultural venue. The Dome’s translucent glow contrasts with the theater’s monolithic, abstract form, creating a dialogue between past and future.

The 1,600-seat auditorium features customized sand-colored acoustic terracotta panels, designed to enhance sound quality.

The lobby is also finished similar terracotta wall panels to those in the theater, creating aesthetic continuity between these spaces.

The lobby is finished in similar terracotta wall panels to those in the theater, creating aesthetic continuity between these spaces.

Designed for more than intermission, the space welcomes community events, informal performances, and everyday visitors.

The lobby opens directly to the riverside promenade. A mirrored stainless-steel ceiling reflects light like water, creating a tranquil effect.

Throughout the interior, expansive windows admit ample daylight and offer views across the river and toward the rest of the West Bund district.

In some areas, the windows stretch from floor-to-ceiling, dissolving the boundary between interior and exterior.

A large outdoor plaza emphasizes the public nature of the building, while generous terraces—one on the roof, and another halfway up the building—provide perches for theatregoers to enjoy a moment outside between acts.

When completed, the 9.4-square-kilometer West Bund will be the largest cultural district in Asia.

“Performing arts, along with visual arts, new media art, and contemporary design, form a vital cultural thread on the West Bund. To this end, we have long awaited a theater like this—one that stands prominently by the Huangpu River as a landmark, engages with history to tell the story of the city’s development, and not only stages professional, high-caliber performances but also opens its doors to the public, allowing everyone visiting the waterfront to step inside and experience art.”

Ye Keyang, Deputy General Manager, Shanghai West Bund Development Group

Learn more about the West Bund Grand Theatre project >