"We envision Harbin Opera House as a cultural center of the future – a tremendous performance venue, as well as a dramatic public space that embodies the integration of human, art and the city identity, while synergistically blending with the surrounding nature," said studio founder Ma Yansong.

These contrast with the rooftops, where a textured surface of ice-inspired glass pyramids allows light in from above.

According to MAD, the building is designed "in response to the force and spirit of the northern city's untamed wilderness and frigid climate".