zaha hadid architects' chengdu science fiction museum emulates an expanding star cloud

chengdu science fiction museum to host Worldcon + 2023 Hugo Awards in china 

The Chengdu Science Fiction Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects is slowly taking shape in China, offering the country yet another mind-bending cultural destination. Currently under construction, the museum is expected to complete later this year to host the 81st annual World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and the 2023 Hugo Awards later.

The city of Chengdu is a leading incubator of science fiction writing in China. Launching the careers of many of the country’s most renowned authors, ‘Science Fiction World’ magazine has been published in the city since 1979 and is the genre’s most popular periodical worldwide. Surrounded by mountain ranges and forests, Chengdu cultivated a unique local culture rooted in its rich history that includes the mystical visions and extraterrestrial forms within the carvings and masks of the Bronze Age Sanxingdui civilization. The capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China, Chengdu has grown to a city of over 20 million residents and become an important global center of scientific innovation and research. With this museum underway, a new chapter will unfold for the city.

all visuals © ATCHAIN

creating a journey of discovery through the ‘star cloud’

The new Chengdu Science Fiction Museum by ZHA is situated on Jingrong Lake within the Science & Innovation New City of Chengdu’s Pidu District. Integrating with the natural landscapes along the lakeshore, the museum’s design defines activity nodes connected by pedestrian routes that extend from the city and adjacent metro station through the surrounding parkland into the heart of the building. This creates a journey of discovery that weaves between indoor and outdoor plazas at multiple levels to link the museum’s exhibition galleries, educational facilities, cafes, and other amenities.

The complex also appears to float above the lake’s surface, bringing programmatic and functional clarity together while responding to its unique site conditions. Even more, the fluid forms of its roof radiate from a central point within, emulating an expanding nebula cloud and transforming the museum into a ‘star cloud’ that disperses energy fields into its many different zones, ‘guiding visitors through a portal that connects our lived experience with our imagination,’ notes ZHA.

Chengdu Science Fiction Museum sports fluid forms

The 59,000 sqm Chengdu Science Fiction Museum has maximum flexibility to host the widest variety of exhibitions, conferences, events, and galleries. It will also host a theater, a conference hall, and supporting ancillary spaces. Beyond its generous accommodation, the interior features a sky-lit central atrium with a large window facing the spectacular Xiling Mountain, further connecting the museum with its surrounding environment.

fluidity meets eco-conscious design 

Meeting the highest 3 Star standards of China’s Green Building Program, the museum’s design has been developed through detailed digital modeling analysis to maximize efficiencies in composition, site conditions, solar irradiation, and structure. For example, natural hybrid ventilation optimizes Chengdu’s mild subtropical climate to provide comfort for visitors and staff throughout the year, while photovoltaics embedded within the museum’s large roof canopy contribute to meeting the building’s energy demands. ‘The dimensions of this roof have been calculated to shade the glazed facades in summer,’ add the architects.

Landscaped with plants native to the region, the museum also collects and stores rainwater for natural filtration and reuse, enabling Jingrong Lake to become an integral part of Chengdu’s sustainable drainage system that will mitigate flooding and increase biodiversity throughout the city. 

fluid forms engulf the Chengdu Science Fiction Museum

creating a journey of discovery

the museum will host the 2023 Hugo Awards

project info:

name: Chengdu Science Fiction Museum 

location: Chengu, China 

architecture: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) |  @zahahadidarchitects

design: Patrik Schumacher

visuals: ATCHAIN

— ZHA members — 

project directors: Satoshi Ohashi, Paulo Flores 

project associate: Yang Jingwen 

project architects: Juan Liu, Magda Smolinska 

project lead: Sven Torres 

site architect: Meng Zhao 

project team: Andrei Cojocaru, Berkin Islam, Chu Zhou, Hao Wen, Jillian Nishi, Lianyuan Ye, Meng Zhao, Shang Li, Stefan Manousof, Sven Torres, Yang Liu, Yuling Ma, Xiaoying Li 

competition project directors: Satoshi Ohashi, Paulo Flores 

competition associate: Yang Jingwen 

competition project architects: Juan Liu, Magda Smolinska 

competition team: Andrei Cojocaru, Enoch Kolo, Jillian Nishi, Juan Montiel, Lianyuan Ye, Meng Zhao, Nan Jiang, Nastasja Mitrovic, Stefan Manousof, Yanran Lu, Yimeng Zhao, Yuling Ma 

competition sustainability team: Aleksander Mastalski, Carlos Bausa Martinez 

— consultants — 

local architect: China South West Architecture Design Institute

façade, M&E, MAP, and fire engineering: China South West Architecture Design Institute 

site supervision: Sichuan Feihong Engineering Management Consulting Co., Ltd. 

general contractor: China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Group 

landscape consultant: Hangzhou Landscape Design Institute 

exhibition design consultant: Chengdu Science Fiction Society

acoustic consultant and interior local design institute: SIADR

project management: CR LAND

lighting design LIGHTDESIGN, BPI