CHINA: A former quarry at the foot of Antuo Hill has been transformed into the Antuoshan Public Cultural Center, the first large-scale cultural complex in Futian District, Shenzhen. Opened in December 2025, the more than 100,000-square-metre complex combines a 1,000-seat grand theatre, a 500-seat concert hall and four black box theatres within a vertically stacked tower-and-podium structure, alongside study rooms, rehearsal studios and recording suites.

For its two principal performance spaces, the venue demanded a combination of high-performance sound and architectural discretion. The owner had previously selected L-Acoustics for Futian DreamWorks and Star Theatre, while L-Acoustics Certified Provider Rightway Audio Consultants (Racpro) recommended the technology for Antuoshan, extending an established partnership.

“In the Grand Theatre, we knew from the outset that L-ISA would be central to the experience we wanted to create,” says Xia Zhushan, Vice General Manager, Racpro. “In the concert hall, where space was at a premium, the compact form factor and discreet profile of Kiva II let us deliver full-range coverage with no visible footprint.”

Racpro used Soundvision to model loudspeaker positions and coverage before installation, allowing the team to determine how far the systems could be concealed above the stage or within its front edge without compromising consistency across the audience.

“Soundvision was a crucial part of our process,” Ou Xiangjun, Senior System Engineer at Racpro adds. “Rather than simply confirming coverage once positions were fixed, it allowed us to test how far the loudspeakers could be tucked out of sight above the stage or into its front edge while still maintaining even coverage across every seat in the house.”

During installation, however, the team encountered an obstruction: the steel structure of the sound bridge was affecting high-frequency propagation from the main hangs. Racpro worked with the contractor to modify the structure rather than compromise the system design, allowing the installed system to perform in line with the Soundvision modelling.

That decision was put to an immediate test on opening night, when the centre hosted pianist Lang Lang, conductor Lin Daye and the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra.

“The modelling we’d done in Soundvision gave us the confidence to commit to a concealed installation for the main system, knowing the predicted results would hold up under the scrutiny of a sold-out house and a programme built around one of the world’s most recognisable pianists,” Xiangjun says.

In the grand theatre, L-ISA forms the centrepiece of the immersive sound system. Five hangs of four A15i, each in a two Focus, two Wide configuration, create the frontal Scene, with Panflex directivity used to shape coverage for the required zones. Around the audience, 26 X8 cover both floors, while four overhead X12 provide the height layer. Two A15i Wide address the remaining blind spots.

Nine 5XT along the stage lip and seven in the orchestra pit are recessed into the stage edge, providing near-field coverage for the closest seats without introducing a visible footprint. Low-frequency reinforcement comes from two KS28 per side flown beside the central Scene hang, alongside one further KS28 per side on the ground. Fourteen X12 provide stage monitoring.

The amplification and processing infrastructure comprises five LA4X for the frontal Scene, three for the height system and seven for the surrounds, with five used for back-ups. Two LA12X drive the subwoofers, with one assigned to the flown units and one to the ground stack. Five LA2Xi power the fills, with one handling the A15i out-fills and four assigned to the front-fills and pit-fills. Two L-ISA Processor II units manage the immersive system.

The 500-seat concert hall takes a more compact approach. Twelve Kiva II are flown in two hangs of six on either side of the stage, blending into the room’s dark surfaces while providing coverage across the audience. Two SB15m extend the low-frequency response, while 10 5XT embedded in the stage address the front rows. Four X12 serve as stage monitors. The concert hall system is powered by five LA4X for the main hangs and subs, with two LA2Xi handling the front-fills.

Opening night provided a high-profile first test of both the system and the venue, with audiences experiencing the combination of clarity and spatial depth during Lang Lang’s performance with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. “The concert brought together so many maestros, and through L-ISA, we were able to ensure they sounded clear, natural and dynamic — yet with almost no trace of traditional sound reinforcement,” Zhushan says.

Several months after opening, the Antuoshan Public Cultural Center is now hosting a varied programme spanning musicals, ballet, chamber music and experimental work, with its L-Acoustics systems providing the technical foundation while remaining largely hidden within the architecture. “The venue is delivering a consistent and varied programme of musicals, ballet, chamber music and experimental work, and we are thrilled with the capabilities of the systems we have installed.”