A New Art & Design Museum in Shenzhen
Realised by Rocco Design Architects, the iADC Design Museum forms the core of a new art town that takes over a former industrial zone
Image by Henry He
Design Anthology: What was the brief to you for the project?
Rocco Yim: The museum is part of a larger project, which was to develop an art town on a previously undeveloped plot of land surrounded by scattered old factories. As an anchor of this art town, the 6,300-square-metre museum needed to function as a cultural hub and landmark for the new neighbourhood. One challenge was that without any context to drive the approach, the project needed to create its own character and identity.
What is unique about the building?
The galleries are raised off the ground, which opens up a public plaza that spans the entire length of the site. Punctuated by a sunken courtyard connected to the basement exhibition hall and grand stairway to the upper-floor museum lobby, this plaza creates a new neighbourhood centre that links the art town’s main street with the rest of the district and becomes a place of gathering.
What was the idea behind that form?
The form is an expression of openness signifies an unleashing of creative energy from within. Conceptually a pure box, via a simple folding of the facade, breaks the rigidity and confines of its platonic form.
Can you tell us about the materiality and construction techniques?
The form itself is monolithic and minimal. To achieve that, we needed a seamless skin that was durable and easy to construct. Interlocking aluminium panels with undulating patterns were used to conceal the joints and create a skin that could extend as needed.
Was sustainability a consideration?
Daylight plays a key role to the indoor mood and experience, in addition to saving energy. The galleries are spatially arranged around the central courtyard, which admits daylight into the space. The folded facade further enhances the experience by filtering natural light between the gaps.
Image by Henry He
Image by Henry He
Image by Henry He
Image by Henry He
Image courtesy of Rocco Design Architects Associates
Image courtesy of Rocco Design Architects Associates
Image courtesy of Rocco Design Architects Associates
Image by Henry He
Image by Henry He
Image by Henry He
Image courtesy of Rocco Design Architects Associates
Image by Henry He
Image by Henry He
Image by Henry He
Image courtesy of Rocco Design Architects Associates
Image by Henry He
Image by Henry He
