Located in Hangzhou at the junction of the Grand Canal and the Hanggang River, the Grand Canal Museum will reflect the Canal’s importance in Chinese cultural and natural landscapes and create a contemporary gathering place.
Surrounded by water on three sides, the Museum will tell the story of the Grand Canal: its construction, its role in the agriculture of China’s eastern plain, and its cultural radiance today. The museum exhibition area comprises 50,000 sm and is organized on two identical floors that can operate independently. The museum space is elevated 12 meters above the ground to provide extra covered and shaded public space. A grand ballroom and a banquet room are located under the elevated museum. The museum’s facade consists of large, concave cast glass elements meant to resemble the sparkle of rippling water.
Behind the museum a large mountain-shaped conference center-hotel complex connects to the city thanks to its proximity to the main road. A contiguous vertical space connects the three key programs of the building: the conference center on the lower floors, the museum lobby in the middle, and the restaurants and hotel on the top. The facade of the “Mountain” is mineral and solid, meant to juxtapose the glass of the museum and embody the classic Chinese ideal of “water in the front, mountain in the back.”
See Also: China’s Wuxi Taihu Show Theater is inspired by the country’s largest bamboo forest
The project’s site is fully landscaped and includes a park-like urban plaza and a green roof atop the museum that is fully integrated into a storm water management system. The Grand Canal Museum is expected to begin construction in 2020 with a completion date in late 2023.
Related Stories
Architects | Jun 14, 2018
Chicago Architecture Center sets Aug. 31 as opening date
The Center is located at 111 E. Wacker Drive.
Museums | Jun 1, 2018
The new Orange County Museum of Art will be Orange County’s largest center for arts and culture
Morphosis designed the building.
| May 24, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Security and the built environment: Insights from an embassy designer
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), embassy designer Tom Jacobs explores ways that provide the needed protection while keeping intact the representational and inspirational qualities of a design.
Museums | Apr 2, 2018
‘Canopy of Peace’ to rise 150 feet above The National WWII Museum
The piece will tie together the six-acre campus.
Museums | Mar 27, 2018
The future of museums: The ultimate visitor experience
Kirill Pivovarov discusses how museums and retail stores are influencing each other to create a better visitor experience. Special thanks to Paul Conder for contributing his retail insights.
Museums | Feb 26, 2018
*UPDATED* Design team unveils plans for the renovated and expanded Gateway Arch Museum
The goal of the project is to create closer and more robust connections between the Gateway Arch Museum and the landscape of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.
Museums | Jan 11, 2018
Suzhou Science & Technology Museum will highlight new cultural district in Shishan Park
The 600,000-sf museum will be about 62 miles northwest of Shanghai.
Museums | Dec 12, 2017
History museum embodies the culture of the Oregon coast
The barnlike structure comprises 15,000 sf of space.
Museums | Oct 3, 2017
Denmark’s new LEGO experience hub looks like it’s made out of giant LEGO blocks
The 12,000-sm building is part of Billund, Denmark’s goal to become the ‘Capital for Children.’
Museums | Sep 28, 2017
Tunnel-boring machine will be the centerpiece of a planned 150,000-sf Metro Museum in Wuhan, China
GreenbergFarrow beat out five other design firms for the opportunity to design the museum.