vector architects' pingshan art museum adds sidewalk life in shenzhen

vector architects completes its pingshan art museum along the threshold of a dense residential neighborhood and a large urban park in shenzhen. the art museum takes shape as a fragmented volume, with the various functional spaces of the museum distributed across the different levels. these spaces are stacked vertically, occupying a multilevel public platform system that renders the architecture penetrable and porous. rather than standing as an imposing volume, this kind of spatial structure allows free movement of urban traffic at the level of the street. meanwhile, the elevated ground floor generates a continuous spatial experience from different locations along the street and into the museum.

image by shengliang su © vector architects

at the street level, vector architects designs its pingshan art museum to introduce a new sidewalk life in shenzhen. quotidian commercial spaces surrounding the entrance to the museum invite locals and visitors to engage with the museum while visiting the park or passing through from the residential area. a newly introduced pedestrian promenade extends from the first to the second level, leading visitors to the entrance lobby on the second floor with continued retail spaces. the design team hopes that, outside of the operational hours of the museum, the building complex and its public functions could also be open to the whole city for longer periods of time.

image by chao zhang © vector architects

the design team at vector architects organizes the interior of its pingshan art museum with a unique circulatory system. unlike the traditional trajectory between exhibitions, the team uses outdoor public platforms above the second floor to string together various exhibition spaces with trees interspersed along the way. the spaces under the overhangs provide ventilation as well as shelter from the sun and rain, keeping in mind the sub-tropical climate of shenzhen. these transitional spaces open outward to introduce views and invite in the natural elements of the neighboring park. vector architects comments: ‘in our imagination, the art museum would fully absorb the crowds along either side, as an interface that undertakes the daily life in the neighborhood. furthermore, through our design, we hope to establish a new order of public spatial sceneries, and to foster a linkage between the city and nature.’

image by shengliang su © vector architects