The Guangzhou Show Theatre takes inspiration from the enveloping and streamlined form that is generated by nature. The theatre offers a stylistic shelter by allowing audiences to reflect on their past while being presented with the future. The building form, similar to the sea shell, is structurally self-supporting. It is light, aerodynamic, and with seeming motion. The form embodies certain elegance. The form is especially appropriate in this setting as the site fronts a body of water and the building almost emerges from it. The familiar form also lends itself to becoming an icon for the people and the community as it will glow magnificently in the night, inviting the audience to experience the volume within. The site design allows for vehicles, pedestrians, buses and exclusive VIP guests to coexist while maintaining separate paths. The building’s primary entrance faces the urban street along the east. The dimple of the main entrance creates a larger and partially covered public plaza. The west, water-facing façade enable the opportunity for a more intimate, open-air performance. The southern façade gives exclusive entry to the VIP members by providing a long processional entry onto the site and into the building. Finally, the northern façade addresses the most utilitarian parking and loading functions. The expression of the Guangzhou Show “Sea Shell” Theatre also pulls form the traditional makeup: a shell that protects the pearl theatre inside. The constructability of the building is proposed as a large space frame, very closely resembling that of a typical hangar space or a large storage silo, allowing for the largest spans and the most open plan necessary for a performance venue. The skin in between the ribs is proposed as light PVC fabric, allowing the building to appear light, translucent and glowing at night.