Mumbai, India’s new Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre has three performing arts venues
By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor
In Mumbai, India, the recently completed Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) will showcase music, theater, and fine arts from India and from across the globe. Atlanta’s TVS Design served as the principal architect and interior designer of both the cultural center and the larger, adjacent Jio World Centre, a 1.1 million-sf, 18.5-acre business, commerce, and cultural development that has been opening in phases since last year.
NMACC includes three performing arts spaces:
- 2,000-seat Grand Theatre, modeled after the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and featuring 18 boxes with private lounges and dedicated food and beverage services
- 250-seat Studio Theatre, with a telescopic seating system for easy transformation and artistic flexibility
- 125-seat Cube, with a moveable stage and seating
The Grand Theatre’s ceiling boasts 8,400 Swarovski crystals that can each be programmed and illuminated with a special lighting system. The ceiling conceals the technical catwalks and theatrical lighting. The Grand Theatre also features elements from expert craftsmen around the world—including mosaic tiles from Italy, jaali screens from Dubai, sound-absorbing walnut wood from Greece, millwork from Muscat, fabric from Germany, wall coverings from Belgium, and walnut-clad seating from Italy.
In addition, a four-story visual arts space, the Art House, will house public art exhibits and installations. Dining options include a concession area, a cafe, and a restaurant.
The design team conceived the interior design of the entire development—the cultural center, convention center, offices, retail, and residential—to resemble a traditional Indian necklace. Each component represents a detailed jeweled element, with the theater as the pendant. The design vocabulary draws its primary inspiration from India’s national flower, the lotus. In the lotus-inspired Fountain of Joy, fountain performances combine water, light, and sound.
On the Building Team:
Owner/developer: Reliance Industries Limited
Design architect and architect of record: TVS Design
MEP engineer: AECOM
Structural engineer: Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Acoustician: BAI
Lighting designer: Lighting Design Alliance
General contractor: Samsung
