Shanghai’s Natural History Museum is at one with its collection
With a captivating collection of over 10,000 artefacts - including everything from dinosaurs to deep-sea monsters and mummies from the Ming Dynasty - the new home for the Shanghai Natural History Museum, designed by internationally acclaimed practice Perkins+Will, captures the essence of nature through biomimicry.
Previously housed in the former 1920s Shanghai Cotton Exchange, the old museum suffered from space constraints and was able to display just one percent of its entire collection at any given time. In contrast, the generous new structure accommodates six levels of exhibition space and offices, a 30m high entrance lobby and an IMAX cinema, covering a total area of 45,086 sqm.
Inspired by the pure geometry of a spiralling nautilus shell, the building curves elegantly downwards, with the lower three floors dropping below ground level. Enclosed within this 'shell', the serene surface of a centrally placed pond gives way to a series of rocky garden terraces, in the style of a traditional Chinese 'Mountain and Water' garden.
Global Design Director Ralph Johnson headed the project, which lies in the Jing'an Sculpture Park in central downtown Shanghai. 'Through its integration with the site, the building represents the harmony of man and nature and is an abstraction of the basic elements of Chinese art and design,' he says on the concept.
In keeping with the building's nature-inspired approach, each of the four external walls symbolises a separate element of the natural world: the living wall represents forests; the north wall is a rock face relating to Earth's geology and plate tectonics; there is a glazed façade harnessing the power of the sun; whilst the internal lining of the 'shell' displays a beautiful white lattice in a cellular pattern - combining an intricate multilayered glass, concrete and steel construction - which references the complex system of a living organism.
The spiralling planted rooftop becomes a fifth façade, overlooked by the high-rise apartment blocks which surround the sculpture park. Accessible to visitors, the roof provides a viewing platform over the garden at its heart, and doubles up as a rainwater collection system with storage in the courtyard pond.
Sustainable design solutions (such as greywater recycling and a geothermal energy system) are displayed as part of the exhibition and reveal the story of the museum, explaining the benefits of environmental strategies.The abundance of natural references throughout ensure that the museum's architecture becomes as much a part of the exhibit as the collection it hosts.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UK
As A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
By Jack Moss Published
-
Eurovision unveils its 2024 stage, designed by Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour creatives
This year's stage design aims to bring the audience into the performance more than ever before.
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Ikea meets Japan in this new pattern-filled collection
New Ikea Sötrönn collection by Japanese artist Hiroko Takahashi brings Japan and Scandinavia together in a pattern-filled, joyful range for the home
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Beijing City Library is an otherworldly escape from the digital world
Beijing City Library by Snøhetta is a flowing, welcoming space to share knowledge and socialise
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Chinese scholar Zhang Taiyan’s house opens as a museum and bookshop in Suzhou
20th-century Chinese scholar Zhang Taiyan’s house in Suzhou has opened to the public as a museum, featuring a bookshop designed by Tsing-Tien Making
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Jiaxing’s sunken train station is a hub of urban greenspace and efficient city links
Jiaxing Train Station by MAD Architects is a bubble of urban green space with a blend of reconstructed historical design and modern minimalism
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Junya Ishigami’s Zaishui Art Museum in China was conceived as a ‘gentle giant’
Japanese architect Junya Ishigami completes Zaishui Art Museum, a kilometre-long building positioned in a manmade lake and aiming to ‘bring the outside landscape in’
By Joanna Kawecki Published
-
Sun Tower, rising on Yantai’s waterfront, wins Best Building Site in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024
We take a tour of the building site at Sun Tower, Open Architecture's new nature-inspired cultural attraction for the seaside town of Yantai in China
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Forest Villa transforms an existing building shell into a minimalist villa engulfed in nature
Forest Villa by HAS is a minimalist home in suburban China, crafted in an existing building shell, and working with its idyllic natural context
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Chinese island house brings luxury minimalism to seaside living
L House by AD Architecture is a Chinese island house that bridges luxury minimalism and seaside living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
National Portrait Gallery reopens its refreshed home
London’s National Portrait Gallery reopens with a design by leading architect Jamie Fobert and conservation specialist Purcell
By Ellie Stathaki Published