Not long ago, the director of the Aranya Art Center turned to studio Neri&Hu for the realization of an art center for the Chinese town of Qinhuangdao, on the Gold Coast. Immediately the two founders of the studio, Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu thought to design a structure that would not only be a simple art gallery, but that would become a real place of meeting and exchange for the citizens.

To achieve this, the architects have created a building that looks compact and monolithic from the outside, while inside, through a modular interlocking system, houses five galleries, a bar, a roof that can be visited and an amphitheater, a real flagship of the Aranya Art Center. 

If, in fact, the external appearance suggests the solidity of a boulder, the interior of the building is hollow: a central empty space leading to the amphitheater has been created. The final appearance is reminiscent of the Roman Pantheon and the amphitheater becomes a meeting place, where to spend time peacefully on the steps and as a space used for presentations. But the real magic happens when you fill it with water and create a connection between the interior of the Aranya Art Center and the nearby ocean.