The design of the new Shanghai Planetarium is meant to celebrate the history of Chinese astronomy while also presenting the future ambitions of China’s space exploration program, according to the buildings architect, Ennead Architects.
The 420,000-gsf structure draws its inspiration from astronomical principles and is meant to present visitors with the experience of orbital motion. The building has three principles forms in its design: the Oculus, the Inverted Dome, and the Sphere.
According to wallpaper.com, the Oculus acts as a large sundial, projecting a circle of light onto a paved public plaza marked with times and dates of the cultural calendar. The inverted Dome acts as a large skylight, providing visitors in the central atrium an unobstructed view of the sky. The Sphere houses the planetarium theater, which the architects claim to be largest in the world. Ennead Architects says each of these three forms acts as an astrological instrument, tracking the sun, moon, and stars.
From a more functional standpoint, the building form, program, and circulation are meant to support the flow of visitors through the various galleries and the experience of the three central bodies.
The planetarium will be set within an expansive green zone that will include exterior exhibits, such as a 78-foot-high solar telescope and a Youth Observation Camp and Observatory.
The Shanghai Planetarium will be about 45 minutes from downtown Shanghai and is scheduled for completion in 2020.
Rendering courtesy of Ennead Architects
Rendering courtesy of Ennead Architects
Related Stories
Museums | Dec 4, 2015
Calatrava’s Milwaukee Art Museum gets handsome addition by HGA
The lakefront addition gives visitors expansive views both inside and out.
Museums | Dec 3, 2015
SANAA’s design selected for Hungary’s new National Gallery and Ludwig Museum
After months of deliberation, the Japanese firm ultimately won the tie with Snøhetta.
Museums | Nov 23, 2015
Daniel Libeskind unveils design for new Lithuanian modern art museum
Located in the national capital of Vilnius, the Modern Art Center will be home to 4,000 works of Lithuanian art.
Museums | Nov 11, 2015
MVRDV designs a ‘disco ball’ for Rotterdam
Called the Collectiegebouw (Dutch for "collection building"), the building will make public the city’s extensive art collection, and give visitors a look at how museums work backstage, according to Fast Company.
Museums | Nov 10, 2015
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum breaks ground on Collections and Conservation Center
Designed by SmithGroupJJR, the David and Fela Shapell Family Collections and Conservation Center will provide long-term, secure preservation for evidence of the Holocaust.
Museums | Nov 6, 2015
Studio Gang designs sculpted science center for the American Museum of Natural History
The Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation will hold areas where visitors can engage with high-tech tools, such as gene mapping, 3D imaging, and big data assimilation and visualization, all to learn about the current state of scientific research.
Museums | Nov 4, 2015
George Lucas museum design by MAD Architects finally gets green light
The project will go ahead with its revised, smaller-scale design.
Museums | Oct 22, 2015
Kengo Kuma’s design for cultural museum in the Philippines evokes prehistoric cave feel
The Museum of Indigenous Knowledge in Manila, will house over 4,000 years of history.
Museums | Oct 20, 2015
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman Wilson House finds new home at Arkansas museum
Crystal Bridges Museum reconstructed the 61-year-old Usonian house and will open it to the public in November.
Museums | Oct 16, 2015
Renzo Piano will turn century-old Moscow power plant into art gallery
The idea is to take the GES2 power station, which was built between 1904 and 1907, and turn it into an exhibition space for the V-A-C Foundation, a Russian art organization.
