in shanghai, OPEN transforms aviation fuel tanks into 'containers of culture'

after more than six years of design and construction, OPEN architecture has completed ‘TANK shanghai’ — a major new cultural complex in china. the institution opened on march 23, 2019 with a digital installation by japanese collective teamlab forming one of three inaugural exhibitions. located on the huangpu river in shanghai’s west bund, the contemporary art center joins an exhibition venue by archi-union on a site that will soon be home to an art museum designed by david chipperfield.

a Z-shaped ‘super-surface’ connects the scheme
image by wu qingshan (also main image)

located on the river bank, the site was once home to an airport with its aviation fuel tanks and ancillary facilities left abandoned. OPEN architecture sought to ‘transform the containers of fuel into containers of culture, while paying tribute to the site’s industrial past.’ central to the project’s design is a Z-shaped ‘super-surface’. above ground, two open plazas comprise greenery, water features, small galleries, and public artworks — allowing people to move freely between nature and art.

two open plazas comprise greenery, water features, and public artworks
image by OPEN architecture

below the new terrain is a network of circulation routes that connects the galleries that are housed within the repurposed fuel tanks. one tank has become a space for live music performances, another a restaurant, and the third is now home to three exhibition spaces. ‘each of these transformations, which thoughtfully preserve and in some cases retain largely untouched the original features of the tanks, had to overcome significant design and construction challenges posed by the constraints of working with the existing structure of each tank,’ explains the design team.

people are encouraged to move freely between nature and art
image by OPEN architecture

alongside teamlab’s exhibition, titled ‘universe of water particles in the tank’, two other inaugural displays are currently on view: ‘under construction’, a group show of contemporary chinese artists, and a solo exhibition of the work of argentinian sculptor adrián villar rojas. impressively, OPEN reports that TANK shanghai’s debut exhibitions attracted nearly 10,000 visitors during the opening weekend.

a network of circulation routes connects the galleries
image by wu qingshan

the former fuel tanks have been repurposed
image by wu qingshan

an aerial view of the site
image by wu qingshan

masterplan of TANK shanghai
image by OPEN architecture

the site’s previously existing condition
image by OPEN architecture

project info:

design year: 2013-2019
status: built
client: shanghai west bund development group, TANK shanghai
program: art galleries, event spaces, restaurant, café, live music club, museum offices and art storage
building area: 10,845 sqm
site area: 47,448 sqm
location: west bund, xuhui district, shanghai, china

architects: OPEN architecture
principal-in-charge: li hu, huang wenjing
project team: ye qing, luo ren, victor quiros, zhou tingting, chen xiuyuan, li zhentao, zhao yao, lu di, jia han, zhang yiwen, steven shi, zhou xiaochen, huang zhonghan, laurence chan, cynthia yurou cui, yang qi, ge can, gao qi, stephanie lee, jin boan, zhang hao, wang mangyuan, yan dihua, zhang chang, tomas kowalsky, jiang simin
local design institute: tongji architectural design group
landscape design: beijing EDSA orient planning & landscape architecture co., ltd.
lighting consultant: shanghai ming chi architecture and engineering co., ltd.