Wanda Movie Park
Stufish Entertainment Architects designed the world’s first indoor movie theme park in Wuhan, China. The $690 million Wanda Movie Park, designed for client Dalian Wanda Group, is spread over 100,000 square meters. This building houses six film-related ‘ride’ attractions, including 4D and 5D cinema screens, flight theater, immersive and interactive live performances and a space theatre.
Built to complement the advanced technology within the park, Stufish’s design showcases Wuhan’s rich local heritage. Architect Maciej Woroniecki describes the arrangement of the bell structures as “an architectural cacophony – a static motion expressing a joyous tone.”
There are a total of 24 bells, each undulating shape is covered in bespoke geometric aluminum panels; all 11,000 of the gold panels are covered in a fluorocarbon paint that allows the cladding to self-clean as it rains. Strips of LEDs fill the 100 mm gaps in between the horizontal rows of paneling. They wrap around the massive, 60m tall bell shaped structures and make Wanda Movie Park glow vibrantly at night. The scheme’s landscaping was designed as its terraced planting, outdoor seating, and water features reference the agricultural practices of the Hubei province, in which Wuhan is located.
Glazed areas at street level provide double height shop fronts on the lake and generous views out from the various dining and retail facilities within. The building’s only entryway, which is positioned in a hollow bell, is just beyond a large column-free canopy, a 32m tall x 34m wide x 18m deep cantilevering structure.
The geometry of Wanda Movie Park’s exterior facade extends to the internal finish. The inner facade that spans three floors is made of animated LED discs set to create an interactive digital platform. This choreographed theatrical lighting enhances the ad-hoc energy of atrium terracing, jutting escalators and bold signage.