Shan shui is a Chinese expression that, roughly translated, means the union of mountain and lake. It is this phrase that proved to be the inspiration for the new Suzhou Science & Technology Museum designed by Perkins+Will.
The museum will become the new centerpiece of a new cultural district in Shishan Park, located about 62 miles northwest of Shanghai. The museum sits at the foot of Lion Mountain and next to Shishan Lake (hence the shan shui inspiration) and will encompass 600,000 sf of space. Included in this space is a 66,700-sf industrial exhibition hall, where exhibits will highlight the role of industrial development.
Rendering courtesy of Perkins+Will.
The ribbon-like form of the museum emerges from the base of Lion Mountain and twists upward before it turns back on itself to cantilever out over the edge of Shishan Lake. Several man-made, teardrop-shaped, planted Eco Islands will stipple the lake. These islands will act as a filtration system and be connected by a walkway to the museum.
Visitors can arrive at the museum from several approaches. Those arriving by subway will be guided into the museum along a shallow ramp to the circular promenade that surrounds the park. Those coming by car or bus will enter through a formal plaza with reflecting pools and gathering spaces dubbed the “Discovery Court.”
Rendering courtesy of Perkins+Will.
Once visitors enter the museum, via whichever approach they desire, they will be greeted by a three-story atrium adjacent to a sunken water-filled courtyard that includes several small planted islands meant to reflect the Eco Islands in Shishan Lake.
Each level within the museum has access to natural daylight. The museum’s third level comprises “Lion Mountain Terrace,” which stretches out over the Eco Islands and frames Lion Mountain in the distance. This isn’t the only way the museum highlights sustainability and the environment, though.
A “Life-Giving Forest” outside the museum provides an air filtration buffer to the city and a unique place for outdoor exhibits. Public pedestrian walkways where the museum meets the lake wind through the Eco Islands and the wetlands with signage that guide guests to explore water purification, storm water management, and sustainable living.
Rendering courtesy of Perkins+Will.
A 3D metal mesh skin transitions from opaque to transparent to control daylight and solar gain and permeable paving systems and bioswales allow rain water to percolate directly into the ground of be directed toward the planted vegetation to be filtered naturally. Additionally, the construction of wetlands and Eco Islands will improve the water quality of Shishan Lake and make it a healthier habitat for wildlife and visitors.
Rendering courtesy of Perkins+Will.
“Our design recognizes the importance of Suzhou in China’s commercial history, and underscores its role at the forefront of China’s emergence as a technology leader and innovator,” says Ralph Johnson, Global Design Director of Perkins+Will.
Perkins+Will previous design work in China includes the Shanghai Natural History Museum, which opened in 2015.
Rendering courtesy of Perkins+Will.
Rendering courtesy of Perkins+Will.
Related Stories
| Mar 29, 2012
Construction completed on Las Vegas’ newest performing arts center
The Smith Center will be the first major multi-purpose performance center in the U.S. to earn Silver LEED certification.
| Mar 5, 2012
Franklin Institute in Philadelphia selects Skanska to construct new pavilion
The building has been designed by SaylorGregg Architects and will apply for LEED Silver certification.
| Dec 5, 2011
Summit Design+Build begins renovation of Chicago’s Esquire Theatre
The 33,000 square foot building will undergo an extensive structural remodel and core & shell build-out changing the building’s use from a movie theater to a high-end retail center.
| Nov 9, 2011
Lincoln Center Pavilion wins national architecture and engineering award
The project team members include owner Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York; design architect and interior designer of the restaurant, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, New York; executive architect, FXFOWLE, New York; and architect and interior designer of the film center, Rockwell Group, New York; structural engineer Arup (AISC Member), New York; and general contractor Turner Construction Company (AISC Member), New York.
| Oct 12, 2011
BIM Clarification and Codification in a Louisiana Sports Museum
The Louisiana State Sports Hall of Fame celebrates the sporting past, but it took innovative 3D planning and coordination of the future to deliver its contemporary design.
| Oct 12, 2011
Consigli Construction breaks ground for Bigelow Laboratory Center for Ocean Health
Consigli to build third phase of 64-acre Ocean Science and Education Campus, design by WBRC Architects , engineers in association with Perkins + Will
| Sep 12, 2011
Living Buildings: Are AEC Firms up to the Challenge?
Modular Architecture > You’ve done a LEED Gold or two, maybe even a LEED Platinum. But are you and your firm ready to take on the Living Building Challenge? Think twice before you say yes.
| Apr 13, 2011
Expanded Museum of the Moving Image provides a treat for the eyes
The expansion and renovation of the Museum of the Moving Image in the Astoria section of Queens, N.Y., involved a complete redesign of its first floor and the construction of a three-story 47,000-sf addition.
| Apr 12, 2011
Entrance pavilion adds subtle style to Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
A $13 million gift from the Otis Booth Foundation is funding a new entrance pavilion at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. CO Architects, Los Angeles, is designing the frameless structure with an energy-efficient curtain wall, vertical suspension rods, and horizontal knife plates to make it as transparent as possible.
| Jan 21, 2011
Sustainable history center exhibits Fort Ticonderoga’s storied past
Fort Ticonderoga, in Ticonderoga, N.Y., along Lake Champlain, dates to 1755 and was the site of battles in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The new $20.8 million, 15,000-sf Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center pays homage to the French magasin du Roi (the King’s warehouse) at the fort.
