herzog & de meuron's 'M+' museum is soon to open in hong kong

herzog & de meuron’s m+

the herzog & de meuron-designed ‘M+’ museum in hong kong is soon to open to the public. the project marks asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture. it is located in the city’s west kowloon cultural district, and is set to open to the public on friday, november 12th, 2021. the museum will unveil the opening displays of its pre-eminent collections of visual art, design and architecture, and moving image from hong kong, greater china, asia, and beyond. 

around 1,500 works drawn from the M+ collections will be presented in the 17,000 square-meter exhibition space that spans across thirty-three galleries and other display spaces in the museum. see our previous coverage of the museum’s completion last march here.

a museum of contemporary visual culture

designed by the international team of architects at herzog & de meuron in partnership with TFP farrells and arup, the 65,000-square-meter museum dubbed ‘M+’ is monumental in its architectural form and radically open in its position within the urban landscape.

located on the victoria harbour waterfront, the monumental work of architecture shows a striking terracotta tile-clad tower, featuring a dynamic led system on the south facade for the display of M+ content, defining the museum’s place within the urban landscape and contributing to the city’s vibrant night-time environment. the found space, M+’s signature display space for major installations, is a striking setting at the B2 level defined by the alignment of the underground rail tunnels above which the M+ building sits.

image © kevin mak

a new monument in hong kong

visitors to the herzog & de meuron- designed M+ will enjoy amenities including two museum shops, restaurants, and the roof garden which commands spectacular views of hong kong’s historic skyline. among them, the other shop and curator creative café at M+ located at B1 level of the building are already open to the public.

henry tang ying-yen, chairman of the board of the west kowloon cultural district authority, comments: ‘the official opening of M+ marks a major milestone in delivering the vision for the development of the west kowloon cultural district as a vital contribution to the future of hong kong, building on its reputation as one of the world’s leading arts and cultural hubs. we will make M+ a must-visit destination for local, regional, and international visitors.’

image © virgile simon bertrand
image © virgile simon bertrand

image © kevin mak

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clear conclusion of clearness, liu kuo-sung, 1965 | image © liu kuo-sung

duan jianyu, artistic chicken, 2002 | © sony corporation, sorayama hajime

archigram, archigram 5, 1964 | image © archigram archives

antony gormley, asian field, 2003 | image by lok cheng and dan leung © antony gormley

li naihan, I AM A MONUMENT—CCTV wardrobe, 2012, made in 2016 | image © naihan li

sorayama hajime, doi toshitada, otsuki tadashi, sony corporation, sony 'AIBO' entertainment robot, model ERS-110, 1999

project info:

name: M+ museum
location: hong kong
architecture team: herzog & de meuron, TFP farrells, and arup
status: set to open to the public november 12th, 2021

photography: © virgile simon bertrand, kevin mak