The columns will be backlit at night / Steven Chilton Architects
London based practice Steven Chilton Architects (SCA) were inspired by one of China’s largest bamboo forest in the design of the 2,000-person capacity Wuxi Show Theatre in Wuxi, China.
The theatre uses tightly packed white columns – inspired by the bamboo forest in the Sea of Bamboo national park in Yixing – and a canopy made from gold anodised aluminium louvers – to simulate the appearance of dense undergrowth.
According to SCA, at night the “building envelope is illuminated from below, becoming an ethereal beacon, glimpsed between the forest of ‘bamboo’ columns, drawing spectators and audiences in from across the lake and surrounding development.”
Set to open in 2019, the building will accommodate The House of Dancing Water, a water show by Belgian stage director Franco Dragone.
Steven Chilton speaks to CLAD about the inspirations behind the design.
What do you see as the most structurally challenging aspect of the Wuxi Theatre project? Our primary goal was to keep the columns as slender as possible; the aesthetic success of the project would be severely compromised if we failed in this regard.
We set out to fully support the shade canopy with the forest of columns, however, due to time constraints with the build, it became necessary for it to be largely self-supporting. Consequently, the columns are not required to work as hard, which has allowed us to reduce their diameter to 300mm – something of an achievement given they are 33m in length.
Can you tell us more about how the team employed ‘swarm intelligence’ for this project? To choose the final columns distribution we had to consider many factors, including the minimum free distance needed for each column, the ground floor boundaries, security routes and our desire to maximise the covering effect of the facade behind.
Due to the complexity of the problem we choose to code an emergent multi-agent system that would allow us to optimise all these input parameters. Starting from Craig Reynolds` Boids simulation we added some boundary constraints in order to respect the usable area requested and guarantee the creation of safe routes.
Then we added a specific feature to optimise the general distribution and increase the overall covering effect of the columns. For each simulation frame, the system evaluates the visual permeability and each agent moves the associated column with the goal of reducing this global parameter.
Why did you decide to use white columns? Our client is interested in creating architecture with a broad appeal and is attracted to concepts that embody recognisable elements of local culture. Our challenge, as architects interested in modern, minimalist, generative design, has been to find an approach that delivers the essence of a local cultural reference without mimicking it.
We purposefully seek to avoid designing in the mannered, literal sense, instead favouring an approach to materials and structure that seeks to identify geometries and combinations that hold the potential to abstractly evoke the central theme. This generative approach to design enables us to build in factors such as structural efficiency, repetition of nodal geometry and the reduction of material waste.
In the best instances, it leads to abstract effects that are more resonant with the central theme because we employed these various optimisations.
The distribution and orientation of the louvres in the shade canopy are a good example of this. The organic sense of randomness we’ve achieved is largely the result of a variety of parameters that were fed into the algorithm to maximise material efficiency and the distribution of reflected light and to ensure year-round shade over the curtain wall.
What do you expect to be the most impressive element of the theatre? We hope visitors and users will enjoy the experience of moving through the forest of columns and will consciously (or unconsciously) appreciate the simplicity and efficiency of the architecture that surrounds them.
Certainly, at night, the theatre should be a magical place to be. We’ve taken a simple approach to the lighting whereby the columns are mostly backlit. We hope this will give the structure an iridescent, lantern-like quality.
THE TEAM
Building Façade and Canopies Architect: Steven Chilton Architects
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Prism Light Pod
Prism Light Pod launched its first
whole-body red light bed in 2016. We
expanded with the Prism Li [more...]
Oakworks Inc
Oakworks is a US-based FSC-certified manufacturer of spa, massage, and medical equipment. [more...]
The columns will be backlit at night / Steven Chilton Architects
London based practice Steven Chilton Architects (SCA) were inspired by one of China’s largest bamboo forest in the design of the 2,000-person capacity Wuxi Show Theatre in Wuxi, China.
The theatre uses tightly packed white columns – inspired by the bamboo forest in the Sea of Bamboo national park in Yixing – and a canopy made from gold anodised aluminium louvers – to simulate the appearance of dense undergrowth.
According to SCA, at night the “building envelope is illuminated from below, becoming an ethereal beacon, glimpsed between the forest of ‘bamboo’ columns, drawing spectators and audiences in from across the lake and surrounding development.”
Set to open in 2019, the building will accommodate The House of Dancing Water, a water show by Belgian stage director Franco Dragone.
Steven Chilton speaks to CLAD about the inspirations behind the design.
What do you see as the most structurally challenging aspect of the Wuxi Theatre project? Our primary goal was to keep the columns as slender as possible; the aesthetic success of the project would be severely compromised if we failed in this regard.
We set out to fully support the shade canopy with the forest of columns, however, due to time constraints with the build, it became necessary for it to be largely self-supporting. Consequently, the columns are not required to work as hard, which has allowed us to reduce their diameter to 300mm – something of an achievement given they are 33m in length.
Can you tell us more about how the team employed ‘swarm intelligence’ for this project? To choose the final columns distribution we had to consider many factors, including the minimum free distance needed for each column, the ground floor boundaries, security routes and our desire to maximise the covering effect of the facade behind.
Due to the complexity of the problem we choose to code an emergent multi-agent system that would allow us to optimise all these input parameters. Starting from Craig Reynolds` Boids simulation we added some boundary constraints in order to respect the usable area requested and guarantee the creation of safe routes.
Then we added a specific feature to optimise the general distribution and increase the overall covering effect of the columns. For each simulation frame, the system evaluates the visual permeability and each agent moves the associated column with the goal of reducing this global parameter.
Why did you decide to use white columns? Our client is interested in creating architecture with a broad appeal and is attracted to concepts that embody recognisable elements of local culture. Our challenge, as architects interested in modern, minimalist, generative design, has been to find an approach that delivers the essence of a local cultural reference without mimicking it.
We purposefully seek to avoid designing in the mannered, literal sense, instead favouring an approach to materials and structure that seeks to identify geometries and combinations that hold the potential to abstractly evoke the central theme. This generative approach to design enables us to build in factors such as structural efficiency, repetition of nodal geometry and the reduction of material waste.
In the best instances, it leads to abstract effects that are more resonant with the central theme because we employed these various optimisations.
The distribution and orientation of the louvres in the shade canopy are a good example of this. The organic sense of randomness we’ve achieved is largely the result of a variety of parameters that were fed into the algorithm to maximise material efficiency and the distribution of reflected light and to ensure year-round shade over the curtain wall.
What do you expect to be the most impressive element of the theatre? We hope visitors and users will enjoy the experience of moving through the forest of columns and will consciously (or unconsciously) appreciate the simplicity and efficiency of the architecture that surrounds them.
Certainly, at night, the theatre should be a magical place to be. We’ve taken a simple approach to the lighting whereby the columns are mostly backlit. We hope this will give the structure an iridescent, lantern-like quality.
THE TEAM
Building Façade and Canopies Architect: Steven Chilton Architects
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
Longevitix, a clinical platform for preventive and longevity medicine, has launched its AI-
powered intelligence system to help physicians deliver continuous, personalised longevity-
focused care at scale.
Atmantan Wellness Centre, an integrative wellness destination in Mulshi, near Pune in India, is
expanding its portfolio by adding a new centre in Hyderabad that will launch between 2028 and
2029.
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Prism Light Pod Prism Light Pod launched its first
whole-body red light bed in 2016. We
expanded with the Prism Li [more...]
