Three-direction skew folded steel plates were used to create 64 faces and 47 corners to the structural façade. It is about 43m tall and the external shell has a maximum length of 120m. The irregular structural joint has a complex non-geometric design.

The Opera House is a pair of asymmetric structures with the dome and curtain wall integrated together. The promenade also enhanced the urban function of the site and improved the access to the harbour and the river. Entrance to the opera house is through an approach promenade on the landscape. The smaller of the two houses the multipurpose performance hall while the larger is the main auditorium. The structures appear as twin boulders taken from the riverbed and smoothed by erosion in a stream. The opera house is designed as two large pebble-shaped structures washed onto the banks of Pearl River. The project tends to create an interrelation between the natural landscape and architecture. The interior was mainly inspired by the river valleys transformed by erosion. The Guangzhou Opera House design is based on the principles of topography and geology. In May 2011, the project won the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International Award for its design. It was completed by May 2010 and was formally opened in February 2011. The construction of the RMB1.38bn ($202m) project was started in January 2005.

Japanese opera glasses