ODA + mecanoo propose design for floating guoshen museum in china

ODA and mecanoo reveal their design proposal for the guoshen museum in china. one of ten international studios shortlisted in the competition’s final round, the teams worked hand-in-hand to envision a massive waterfront structure anchored around a flexible atrium that gave the building an airy and transparent aesthetic. derived from a courtyard typology, the elegant solution creates a perimetral circulation with a central space dedicated for public use. the building is elevated, generating an entirely new public plaza on the level of the street, allowing pedestrians to wander around the museum without having the need to enter it.

images courtesy of ODA and mecanoo

with its guoshen museum design, ODA and mecanoo express a clear differentiation between architecture and landscape, blurring the continuous open ground floor plane. the structure only touches the ground to separate the different programmatic components — exhibition, education, and research. this allows them to operate independently if required. the elevated building unwraps vertically, transforming the courtyard into a fifty by fifty area and sixty meters in height.

the central atrium of ODA and mecanoo’s guoshen museum transforms the entire experience throughout the space. it begins as the grand entrance to the museum, public and open for everyone. from that space on the ground floor, visitors can see much of the museums’ flow and organization. this atrium space works as a multipurpose room that can accommodate multiple activities and programs — from large scale art exhibitions, to fully ambient controlled experiences and major performances.

the ODA and mecanoo team design the atrium with the potential to activate the museum with endless possibilities, transforming this museum into a unique interactive cultural facility. the courtyard typology allows for efficient and straightforward circulation. it easily orients the visitor from one exhibition room to the other by its relationship with the great atrium and its immediate context. this relationship provides spectacular cross views around the museum and beautiful panoramic views of the qianhai bay and the surrounding mountains. the wrap around exhibition rooms in height also create a series of stepped terraces that progressively bring lush gardens all the way up to the roof, with outdoor space being a hallmark of the teams’ designs.

eran chen, founder and executive director of ODA comments: ‘the guoshen museum represents a unique opportunity for this burgeoning area. this space provides countless opportunities for culture, education, art, tourism, world class events and performances that will put guoshen on the map. we really enjoyed the opportunity to work with our peers at mecanoo on this joint proposal to bring an international perspective to the design.’