Tianjin Juilliard School by Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Tianjin Juilliard School

Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) and members of The Tianjin Juilliard School’s leadership presented the international institution’s second campus to a group of journalists virtually. Designed by DS+R—the firm responsible for the 2009 expansion of Juilliard’s iconic NY home—the Tianjin Juilliard School is a center for performance, practice, research, and interactive exhibitions, with communal spaces that are designed to welcome the public into the creative process and musical performances.

Located 45 minutes by high-speed train from downtown Beijing, the 350,000 sf building is composed of four pavilions that house a 690-seat concert hall, a 299-seat recital hall, and a 225-seat black box theater, among many other spaces. With design features that pay tribute to those of the Juilliard School in NY, the institute also utilizes leading technologies to ensure a high degree of connectivity and collaboration between the students and faculty of both campuses.

The Tianjin Juilliard School (TJS) is a center for performance, practice, research, and interactive exhibitions, with communal spaces that are designed to welcome the public into the creative process and performance of music. TJS is the first performing arts institution in China to confer a U.S.-accredited Master of Music (MM) degree. The new school also comprises a Saturday Pre-College program for students ages 8- 18.

It also includes continuing education programs for professionals and adult learners; public education programs for music learners of all ages; and public performances. Located in the Yujiapu Financial District, the 32,500 m2 (350,000 square-foot) building was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the same firm responsible for the 2009 expansion of Juilliard’s iconic New York home. The building is composed of four faceted pavilions housing a 690-seat concert hall, a 299-seat recital hall, a 225-seat black box theater, and administrative, faculty, and rehearsal programs.

Five glass bridges span an expansive public space that extends the surrounding park into the building, inviting students, visitors and concert goers to mingle, relax and experience the students practicing and giving informal performances. The glass bridges contain classrooms, teaching studios, and practice rooms, encouraging visual and auditory access to the study of music, inviting exchange between students, faculty and visitors.

The school utilizes leading edge telecommunication and video conferencing technologies to ensure a high degree of connectivity and collaboration between students and faculty at Tianjin Julliard School and The Juilliard School in New York. The Juilliard Imagination space, for example, is a digitally connected exhibition space, capable of hosting livestreamed concerts between both Juilliard facilities. Source by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

  • Location: The Tianjin Juilliard School, Tianjin, China
  • Architect: Diller Scofidio + Renfro
  • Partners: Charles Renfro,Elizabeth Diller,Benjamin Gilmartin,and Ricardo Scofidio
  • Project Team: Ellix Wu,Ayat Fadaifard,Heng-Choong Leong,Brian Tabolt,Andrés Macera,Yushiro Okamoto,Jack Solomon,David Chacon,Ling Zhang,and Barry Beagen
  • Executive Architect and Structural & MEP Engineer: East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI)
  • Structural Engineer: Arup
  • Facade Engineer: Front
  • Acoustics: Jaffe Holden Acoustics
  • Theater Design: Fisher Dachs Associates
  • Lighting Designer: Tillotson Design Associates
  • Landscape Architect: Hargreaves Jones
  • AV / IT: Shen Milson & Wilke
  • Sustainability: Transsolar
  • Size (GSF): 350,000 sqm
  • Completion: October 2020
  • Photographs: Zhang Chao, Courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro

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