Ghana National Theatre / CCTN Design

Architects: CCTN Design
Location: Accra, Ghana
Architect In Charge: Cheng Taining
Area: 118403.0 ft2
Project Year: 1992
Photographs: Julien Lanoo

Collaborators: Ye Xianghan, Shen Zhihan, Jiang Shuxian

Text description provided by the architects. The Ghana National Theatre is located at the intersection of Accra’s main thoroughfares. The National Theatre comprises 1500 seats in its auditorium, an exhibition hall, a rehearsal hall, and an open-air theater.

The design of the structure was inspired by the fiery passion of African arts: abstract mosaic murals; local dances with crisp rhythms and powerful movements; and sculptures evoking power and feeling. The project made use of three square blocks, rotated, bent, and deconstructed, to build up an architectural image with a wild sense of power, delicate yet romantic, with the interior space and the exterior form being built in a unified pattern. As a structure clearly influenced by the regional culture, the completed National Theatre became the landmark building of Accra City, thanks to its unique artistic shape. It was not just recognized and celebrated by the people of Ghana but was also used as a decorative pattern on the cedi, Ghana’s paper currency.

Acclaimed by architects around the world, the project was also selected to form the collection of “20th-Century World Architecture,” compiled by the Union of International Architects (UIA).