álvaro siza + carlos castanheira plan 'MoAE – huamao museum of art education'

located in ningbo, china, the ‘MOAE – huamao museum of art education’ by álvaro siza and carlos castanheira features an undulating, metal-clad exterior that hovers above the ground. perched on a hillside, the museum appears small and intriguing on the outside. on the contrary, its interior appears immense thanks to the calmness of the bright, all-white exhibition spaces that develop around an enormous void.

all images courtesy of carlos castanheira architects

álvaro siza and carlos castanheira developed the ‘MOAE– huamao museum of art education’ as a small, black metal construction suspended above ground. its undulating form provides a predetermined exterior route which visitors have to follow to reach the public entrance of the museum. clad in metal, the façade reflects the ever-changing daylight that makes the form move and transform constantly.

though the museum appears small on the outside, its interior is characterized by immense, bright spaces that develop around a central void that reaches the full height of the building. a snaking ramp links all the floor levels, creating a continuous stream of dynamic movement as visitors circulate inside. tube lights of different sizes are arranged vertically and horizontally, tracing the dimensions of the building in both directions.

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project info:

name: MOAE – huamao museum of art education
location: dongqian lake, ningbo, china
architects: álvaro siza with carlos castanheira
office in portugal: CC&CB, architects, lda.
project architect: 1st phase (schematic design): luis reis, elisabete queirós, pedro carvalho
2nd phase (design development/construction): pedro carvalho
project team: jorge santos, joana soeiro, sara pinto, susana oliveira, francesca tiri, rita ferreira, diana vasconcelos, inês bastos, luísa felizardo
3D models and renderings: germano vieira, sara noronha

portuguese consultants —
light design: alexandre martins – GPIC
acoustical engineering: filipe andrade santos

local partners —
consultants: zhejiang huazhi architecture design ltd
local management & supervision: chunyi liu, architect
office in ningbo: design institute of landscape & architecture – china academy of art
engineering: hangzhou MJP mechanical & electrical design consultant ltd
construction company: zhejiang wanhua construction ltd
model: escala reduzida
photography: HouPictures