Shanghai is currently looking for the architecture firm that will design the new Art Museum of Pudong on a prominent site at the tip of Pudong’s Lujiazui CBD area. As ArchDaily reports, the structure will be a rare addition to the symbolic image of modern Shanghai’s skyline.
The city orchestrated an international design competition to try and find the firm it felt was best equipped to design the building. After the first of two rounds, OPEN, SANNA, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, and David Chipperfield Architects were the four remaining firms vying for the museum.
At the time of writing this article, only OPEN’s design entry has been revealed. For its design, the firm created a concept that uses natural landscapes to connect the existing isolated parklands, cultural facilities, and riverbanks to create a large, cohesive looped park system. The parklands, and not just the museum itself, will become its own cultural destination.
The building is still the main attraction, however, and is designed to have a more minimalist, horizontal aesthetic. The upper portion of the building is the “Floating Gallery of Art” and contains a gallery core in its center that is surrounded by more open gallery exhibition spaces. Flexible and adaptable, the space is meant to accommodate a large variety of curatorial requirements. Along the visitor’s route, specifically placed openings in the external façade create a unique blend of art with the urban experience.
The firm describes the ground floor of the building as the “Community Forum of Art.” Located on this floor is a Performance and Installation Gallery, the “People’s Gallery,” an art shop, an auditorium, a library, and workshop spaces. Each of these areas is connected via urban street-like laneways.
Between these two floors is the most unique aspect off the design; an open space that is part urban living room and part outdoor exhibition plaza. This open space is meant to combine the city, art, nature, and people.
You can watch a video detailing OPEN’s entry below.
Rendering courtesy of OPEN via ArchDaily
Rendering courtesy of OPEN via ArchDaily
Rendering courtesy of OPEN via ArchDaily
Rendering courtesy of OPEN via ArchDaily
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
AASHE releases annual review of sustainability in higher education
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has announced the release of AASHE Digest 2008, which documents the continued rapid growth of campus sustainability in the U.S. and Canada. The 356-page report, available as a free download on the AASHE website, includes over 1,350 stories that appeared in the weekly AASHE Bulletin last year.
| Aug 11, 2010
Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council Program Place Project
Houston, Texas
The Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council Program Place is the headquarters for the largest Girl Scout Council in the U.S., with 63,000 scouts. The building houses the council’s administrative offices, a Girl Scout museum, and activity space. When an adjacent two-story office building became available, the council jumped at the chance to expand its museum and program space.
| Aug 11, 2010
Burt Hill, HOK top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest university design firms
A ranking of the Top 100 University Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
PBK, DLR Group among nation's largest K-12 school design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 K-12 School Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Turner Building Cost Index dips nearly 4% in second quarter 2009
Turner Construction Company announced that the second quarter 2009 Turner Building Cost Index, which measures nonresidential building construction costs in the U.S., has decreased 3.35% from the first quarter 2009 and is 8.92% lower than its peak in the second quarter of 2008. The Turner Building Cost Index number for second quarter 2009 is 837.
| Aug 11, 2010
AGC unveils comprehensive plan to revive the construction industry
The Associated General Contractors of America unveiled a new plan today designed to revive the nation’s construction industry. The plan, “Build Now for the Future: A Blueprint for Economic Growth,” is designed to reverse predictions that construction activity will continue to shrink through 2010, crippling broader economic growth.
| Aug 11, 2010
Section Eight Design wins 2009 Open Architecture Challenge for classroom design
Victor, Idaho-based Section Eight Design beat out seven other finalists to win the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom, spearheaded by the Open Architecture Network. Section Eight partnered with Teton Valley Community School (TVCS) in Victor to design the classroom of the future. Currently based out of a remodeled house, students at Teton Valley Community School are now one step closer to getting a real classroom.