CHINA: One of China’s newest performing arts landmarks has opened with L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound at its core, bringing object-based spatial audio to the opera theatre and concert hall of the Longgang International Arts Centre in Shenzhen.

Officially opened on 30 January 2026, the 110,000-square-metre venue serves as the flagship cultural project of Shenzhen’s 14th Five-Year Plan, reinforcing the city’s ambitions to become an international centre for the performing arts. Designed by American architectural firm TVS Design and realised by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, the building draws inspiration from traditional Chinese musical instruments, including the pipa, xun and erhu, and houses a 1,501-seat opera theatre, a 552-seat drama theatre and a 305-seat concert hall.

While the striking architecture defines the venue’s visual identity, it also presented one of the project’s greatest technical challenges. The design brief required a sound system capable of delivering immersive, high-resolution coverage throughout the performance spaces while remaining completely hidden from audience view. Every loudspeaker had to be concealed behind architectural fabric grilles and integrated into the building without compromising its interior finishes, including extensive painted artwork. In the opera theatre, the installation had to be achieved with just 80cm of clearance above the ceiling panels.

The venue commissioned Germany-based consulting engineers Kunkel to develop the system design in collaboration with Rightway Audio Consultants (Racpro), combining both companies’ experience in designing immersive L-ISA installations across Asia.

“The venue’s architects set an extraordinary challenge,” explained Shawn Yu, Senior System Engineer at Racpro. “The building is itself an instrument where every surface and every curve carries meaning. The sound system had to serve that vision completely, which meant disappearing into it. L-ISA gave us the object-based resolution to fill spaces of this scale and complexity while keeping every element of the system out of sight.”

The opera theatre features seven evenly spaced Kara II line source arrays deployed in a Scene and Extension configuration, supported by KS28 subwoofers. Using L-ISA object-based processing, individual audio objects are mapped to their physical positions on stage, allowing sound to move naturally with performers and creating consistent spatial imaging across all 1,501 seats.

To accommodate the restricted installation space, Panflex variable directivity technology was employed to focus acoustic energy towards the audience while reducing reflections from the venue’s side walls.

The immersive environment is further enhanced through a high-density 360-degree surround system comprising 5XT coaxial loudspeakers installed along balcony railings and auditorium walls. X8 coaxial loudspeakers provide near-field coverage, while overhead X12 loudspeakers and KS21i subwoofers complete the three-dimensional soundfield. The engineering team also utilises L-ISA Sound Spaces from a dedicated control room, enabling immersive monitoring, mixing and the creation of virtual acoustic environments tailored to individual productions.

“Not a single loudspeaker is visible to the audience,” added Yu. “Every element of the system, from the Kara II arrays above the stage to the 5XT surrounds at every level, is concealed. We achieved that with just 80 cm of clearance above the ceiling panels, and while taking care to protect the venue’s extensive painted artwork throughout.”

The centre’s 305-seat concert hall required a different system approach due to its lower rigging height and programme focus on instrumental performances. Here, the L-ISA system is centred around X12 coaxial loudspeakers configured as the Scene System, delivering high SPL and wide frequency response within the venue’s compact dimensions. Six X8 coaxial loudspeakers provide near-field and surround coverage, while six 5XT loudspeakers complete the immersive overhead soundfield, maintaining tonal consistency throughout the hall.

The Longgang International Arts Centre began operations with the Asian premiere of the Verbier Festival, presenting 23 concerts and seven masterclasses during its opening weeks. Since then, the venue’s L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound systems have supported a growing programme spanning opera, chamber music and contemporary performance, reinforcing Shenzhen’s emergence as one of Asia’s newest destinations for world-class performing arts.