Museums

Architecture based on astronomy principles for new planetarium in Shanghai

Consisting of three “celestial bodies,” the entire building is made out of the oculus, the inverted dome, and the sphere.

By BD+C Staff | March 9, 2015

Architecture based on “astronomical principles” for new planetarium in Shanghai — Reflecting pools will be strewn throughout the building. Renderings courtesy Ennead Architects

The ancient Chinese civilization left some of the earliest records of humans studying the stars and skies. To exhibit this long history, a new planetarium and astronomy museum is planned for construction in Shanghai, one of China’s most bustling cultural hubs.

According to Architizer, Thomas Wong, partner and design principal at Ennead Architects, took inspiration from astronomy principles in designing the 38,000-sm planetarium.

Consisting of three “celestial bodies,” the entire building is made out of the oculus, the inverted dome, and the sphere. According to the firm, “Each major element acts as an astronomical instrument, tracking the sun, moon and stars—reminding visitors that our conception of time originates in distant astronomical objects and enriching the museum exhibit experience with actual encounters of celestial movement.”

Reflecting pools will be strewn throughout the building, which Architizer says will create an external environment that “brings to mind the serene settings created by Japanese modernists such as Yoshio Taniguchi and Tadao Ando.”

Catch the full report at Architizer.

More In Category

Museums

UT Dallas opens Morphosis-designed Crow Museum of Asian Art

In Richardson, Tex., the University of Texas at Dallas has opened a second location for the Crow Museum of Asian Art—the first of multiple buildings that will be part of a 12-acre cultural district. When completed, the arts and performance complex, called the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, will include two museums, a performance hall and music building, a grand plaza, and a dedicated parking structure on the Richardson campus.

Museums

Bjarke Ingels' Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art conceived as village of 12 pavilions

The 60,000-sm Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China recently topped out. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the museum is conceived as a village of 12 pavilions, offering a modern interpretation of the elements that have defined the city’s urbanism, architecture, and landscape for centuries.

Cultural Facilities

Baltimore’s National Aquarium opens 10,000-sf floating wetland that mimics the harbor’s original tidal marsh habitat

The National Aquarium in Baltimore has opened the National Aquarium Harbor Wetland, a 10,000-sf floating wetland that mimics the Inner Harbor’s original Chesapeake Bay tidal marsh habitat. Located between Piers 3 and 4 on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the $14 million project features more than 32,000 native shrubs and marsh grasses.

Museums

The Tampa Museum of Art will soon undergo a $110 million expansion

In Tampa, Fla., the Tampa Museum of Art will soon undergo a 77,904-sf Centennial Expansion project. The museum plans to reach its $110 million fundraising goal by late 2024 or early 2025 and then break ground. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi, and with construction manager The Beck Group, the expansion will redefine the museum’s surrounding site.

Currently Reading

Architecture based on astronomy principles for new planetarium in Shanghai

Tags

Museums | Jan 28, 2021

Reconstruction Awards | Dec 29, 2020

Giants 400 | Dec 16, 2020

Museums | Nov 16, 2020

Museums | Nov 12, 2020

Museums | Nov 5, 2020

Building Team Awards | Oct 24, 2020

Museums | Oct 15, 2020

Cultural Facilities | Oct 13, 2020

Museums | Oct 7, 2020

Most Popular Content

Magazine Subscription

Get our Newsletters

Follow BD+C: