Competition to design Shanghai’s Pudong Art Museum is down to four firms

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

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