The design of the new Shanghai Planetarium is meant to celebrate the history of Chinese astronomy while also presenting the future ambitions of China’s space exploration program, according to the buildings architect, Ennead Architects.
The 420,000-gsf structure draws its inspiration from astronomical principles and is meant to present visitors with the experience of orbital motion. The building has three principles forms in its design: the Oculus, the Inverted Dome, and the Sphere.
According to wallpaper.com, the Oculus acts as a large sundial, projecting a circle of light onto a paved public plaza marked with times and dates of the cultural calendar. The inverted Dome acts as a large skylight, providing visitors in the central atrium an unobstructed view of the sky. The Sphere houses the planetarium theater, which the architects claim to be largest in the world. Ennead Architects says each of these three forms acts as an astrological instrument, tracking the sun, moon, and stars.
From a more functional standpoint, the building form, program, and circulation are meant to support the flow of visitors through the various galleries and the experience of the three central bodies.
The planetarium will be set within an expansive green zone that will include exterior exhibits, such as a 78-foot-high solar telescope and a Youth Observation Camp and Observatory.
The Shanghai Planetarium will be about 45 minutes from downtown Shanghai and is scheduled for completion in 2020.
Rendering courtesy of Ennead Architects
Rendering courtesy of Ennead Architects
Related Stories
| Jul 18, 2014
2014 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction magazine's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
| Jul 8, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright's posthumous gas station opens in Buffalo
Eighty-seven years after Frank Lloyd Wright designed an ornamental gas station for the city of Buffalo, the structure has been built and opened to the public—inside an auto museum.
| Jul 7, 2014
7 emerging design trends in brick buildings
From wild architectural shapes to unique color blends and pattern arrangements, these projects demonstrate the design possibilities of brick.
| Jul 3, 2014
Gehry edits Canadian skyscraper plan to be 'more Toronto'
After being criticized for the original tower complex, architect Frank Gehry unveils a new design that is more subtle, and "more Toronto."
| Jul 2, 2014
Emerging trends in commercial flooring
Rectangular tiles, digital graphic applications, the resurgence of terrazzo, and product transparency headline today’s commercial flooring trends.
| Jul 1, 2014
Peter Zumthor's LA art museum plan modified with bridge-like section across main thoroughfare
After his design drew concerns about potential damage to LA's La Brea Tar Pits, Peter Zumthor has dramatically revised his concept for the Los Angeles Museum of Art.
| Jul 1, 2014
Zaha Hadid's flowing Heydar Aliyev Center named Design of the Year for 2014
The Design Museum's Design of the Year award has been awarded to Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Center. Hadid is not only the first woman to win the top prize, but the center is the first architectural project to win the overall competition.
| Jun 30, 2014
Research finds continued growth of design-build throughout United States
New research findings indicate that for the first time more than half of projects above $10 million are being completed through design-build project delivery.
| Jun 25, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Spring House, Cincinnati’s Union Terminal among 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2014
The National Trust for Historic Preservation released its annual list of 11 Most Endangered Historical Sites in the United States for 2014.
| Jun 23, 2014
Gehry's 'glass sail' cultural center for Foundation Louis Vuitton set to open in October
Comissioned by Bernard Arnault, American legendary architect Frank Gehry's newest structure in Paris for Foundation Louis Vuitton will house eleven galleries and an auditorium for performing arts.
