Paul Andreu designed the centre. Construction began in December 2001 and finished in July 2007, and it opened that December. The shell is a semi-spherical dome of more than 18,000 titanium plates with a central band of over 1,200 ultra-white glass panels, unsupported by pillars.
It is 696 feet (212.2 m) long, 471 feet (143.6 m) wide and about 152 feet (46.3 m) high, slightly lower than the Great Hall of the People. An artificial lake of about 369,000 square feet (34,300 m²) surrounds it, and visitors enter through an underwater passage of about 262 feet (80 m). About 60 percent of the building area is below ground.
The Opera Hall seats 2,207, the Music Hall 1,859 and the Theatre Hall 1,036. Critics objected to the location near Tiananmen Square and to the cost. The infobox gives 219,400 m² of floor area and 300 million euros, while the text gives 119,900 m² and 3.067 billion yuan.
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