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China seems to be at the forefront of pushing architectural boundaries when it comes to building new museums. For example, the Zhang Yan Cultural Museum was made to incorporate a brick home's ruins into contemporary galleries. And now renderings for a natural history museum in Shenzhen reveal a stunning design that resembles a flowing river.
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Architecture studios B+H Architects, 3XN, and Zhubo Design just released images of what they called "Delta." The project, which won a competition, will be built in the Yanzi Lake area of Shenzhen's Pingshan District. It's there where you'll find a landscape filled with marshes and winding waterways. To highlight that natural beauty, the three studios created a building with several curved edges that seem to extend upwards from the rivers below.
The 45,200-square-foot museum will also feature a large rooftop park and a walkable path along the roofline to enhance that nature connection even more. There will also be viewing balconies for visitors to get a unique perspective of Shenzhen's ecology below with towering skyscrapers in the distance.
As far as the interior, expect a sizeable cavernous entrance lobby. The center will feature a large spiral walkway with skeletons suspended in the air. The galleries, cafes, and other public areas will be connected to this grand central lobby.
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This is the latest project in the Shenzhen region as there is an attempt to revitalize the area. Also in the works is an opera house and exhibition hall, art, oceanic, and technology museums. Incredibly, The Shenzhen Natural History Museum will be the first large-scale museum focused on southern China's natural history.
Many cultural institutions are popping up all over the country as well. Both Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum and the He Art Museum by Tadao Ando were recently completed along with the Zhang Yan Cultural Museum.
