The 60,000-sm Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China recently topped out. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the museum is conceived as a village of 12 pavilions, offering a modern interpretation of the elements that have defined the city’s urbanism, architecture, and landscape for centuries.
The museum is part of the city’s development of Jinji Lake and reimagines the traditional garden ‘lang,’ a line that traces a path, framing gardens with outdoor art installations and coalescing as pavilions. The museum design showcases Suzhou’s garden tradition and takes visitors on a journey through art, nature, and water.
The museum’s main design element is the ribbon of the roof, which extends into a pattern of eaves that double as sheltered walkways through the site. Knots in the thread of walkways frame pavilions, and as a result, the museum’s architecture entwines through the landscape. The draping walkways further extend out into Jinji Lake, which can be appreciated from above on the Suzhou Ferris wheel.
Bjarke Ingels' design for the art museum connects the city to the lake
The overriding design concept is a Chinese garden of pavilions and courtyards. Individual pavilions are woven together by glazed galleries and porticoes, creating a network of interconnected sculpture courtyards and exhibition spaces. “Weaving between the Ferris wheel legs, the museum branches out like a rhizome, connecting the city to the lake,” says Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group.
![Rendering: © Bucharest Studio, courtesy BIG](/sites/default/files/inline-images/SAM_SD_RENDERING_AERIAL%2003.png)
“The result is a manmade maze of plants and artworks to get lost within. Its nodular logic only becomes distinctly discernible when viewed from the Ferris wheel’s gondolas above,” Ingels adds. “Against the open space of the lake, the gentle catenary curvature of the roofs forms a graceful silhouette on the waterfront. Viewed from above, the stainless-steel roof tiles form a true fifth facade.”
Defined by sloping roof eaves, each pavilion’s façade is made of rippled and curved glass, as well as warm-toned stainless steel that reflects the garden colors. The pavilions are connected above and underground via bridges and tunnels, offering the museum flexibility to plan exhibition flow according to seasons and exhibited art pieces. The paths leading through the site will be covered with natural stone.
Arriving at the museum, the visitor will be faced by an expansive, welcoming plaza in front of the visitor center—the entry point to the museum. From there, visitors will be able to proceed inside or along the exterior, through the gardens and to the water bank. Visitors can follow a continuous path through the museum’s interior or wander depending on the aim or weather conditions of the visit. The facility will also house a theater in one of its pavilions.
The museum is scheduled for completion in 2025.
Client: Suzhou Harmony Development Group Co. Ltd
Design Architect: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
Architect of Record: ARTS Group
MEP Engineer: ARTS Group
Structural Engineer: ARTS Group
General Contractor/Construction Manager: Suzhou Erjian
![Rendering: © BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group](/sites/default/files/inline-images/BIG%20-%20Suzhou%20Art%20Museum%20-%20Facade%20Close%20up%20-%20CopyrightBIG%20jpg.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art tops out. Photo: © StudioSZ Photo / Justin Szeremeta, courtesy BIG](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240527_SAM-Construction_02.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art tops out. Photo: © StudioSZ Photo / Justin Szeremeta, courtesy BIG](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240527_SAM-Construction_08.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art tops out. Photo: © StudioSZ Photo / Justin Szeremeta, courtesy BIG](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240527_SAM-Construction_09.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art tops out. Photo: © StudioSZ Photo / Justin Szeremeta, courtesy BIG](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240527_SAM-Construction_16.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art tops out. Photo: © StudioSZ Photo / Justin Szeremeta, courtesy BIG](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240527_SAM-Construction_21.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art tops out. Photo: © StudioSZ Photo / Justin Szeremeta, courtesy BIG](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240527_SAM-Construction_29.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art tops out. Photo: © StudioSZ Photo / Justin Szeremeta, courtesy BIG](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240527_SAM-Construction_35.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art tops out. Photo: © StudioSZ Photo / Justin Szeremeta, courtesy BIG](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240527_SAM-Construction_60.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art tops out. Photo: © StudioSZ Photo / Justin Szeremeta, courtesy BIG](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240527_SAM-Construction_89.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art. Diagram courtesy BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240501_SAM_Concept%20Diagram%204.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art. Diagram courtesy BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240501_SAM_Concept%20Diagram%205.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art. Diagram courtesy BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240501_SAM_Concept%20Diagram%206.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art. Diagram courtesy BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240501_SAM_Concept%20Diagram%207.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art. Diagram courtesy BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240501_SAM_Concept%20Diagram%208.jpg)
![Bjarke Ingels-designed Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art. Diagram courtesy BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group](/sites/default/files/inline-images/240501_SAM_Concept%20Diagram%209.jpg)
Related Stories
| Sep 19, 2013
What we can learn from the world’s greenest buildings
Renowned green building author, Jerry Yudelson, offers five valuable lessons for designers, contractors, and building owners, based on a study of 55 high-performance projects from around the world.
| Sep 19, 2013
6 emerging energy-management glazing technologies
Phase-change materials, electrochromic glass, and building-integrated PVs are among the breakthrough glazing technologies that are taking energy performance to a new level.
| Sep 19, 2013
Roof renovation tips: Making the choice between overlayment and tear-off
When embarking upon a roofing renovation project, one of the first decisions for the Building Team is whether to tear off and replace the existing roof or to overlay the new roof right on top of the old one. Roofing experts offer guidance on making this assessment.
| Sep 11, 2013
BUILDINGChicago eShow Daily – Day 3 coverage
Day 3 coverage of the BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland conference and expo, taking place this week at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza.
| Sep 10, 2013
BUILDINGChicago eShow Daily – Day 2 coverage
The BD+C editorial team brings you this real-time coverage of day 2 of the BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland conference and expo taking place this week at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza.
| Aug 26, 2013
What you missed last week: Architecture billings up again; record year for hotel renovations; nation's most expensive real estate markets
BD+C's roundup of the top construction market news for the week of August 18 includes the latest architecture billings index from AIA and a BOMA study on the nation's most and least expensive commercial real estate markets.
| Aug 22, 2013
Energy-efficient glazing technology [AIA Course]
This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.
| Aug 21, 2013
First look: Petersen Automotive Museum's dramatic facelift
One of the world's largest automotive museums unveils plans for a stunning, sculptured metal exterior and cutting-edge interior upgrades.
| Aug 14, 2013
Green Building Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Jul 29, 2013
2013 Giants 300 Report
The editors of Building Design+Construction magazine present the findings of the annual Giants 300 Report, which ranks the leading firms in the AEC industry.