Astronomy Museum, Shanghai, China, project: Ennead Architects
Published in l'Arca International 165
Avec ses 42 000 mètres carrés, la nouvelle branche astronomique du Musée des sciences et des technologies de Shanghai est le plus grand musée au monde entièrement consacré à l'étude de l'astronomie.
Winners of the international design competition in 2014, Ennead delivered an architecturally ambitious design – without straight lines or right angles, echoing the geometry of the universe and the dynamic energy of celestial movement.
The building’s envelope traces a series of arcing paths that are visibly influenced by gravitational pull: the heart of the central atrium, the forward momentum at the entry, and the planet-like sphere that envelopes the planetarium theater.
The Museum and each of the three principal architectural components that define the design – the Oculus, Inverted Dome and Sphere – act as functioning astronomical instruments, tracking the sun, moon, and stars.
The Oculus, suspended above the main entry to the Museum, demonstrates the passage of time by tracking a circle of sunlight on the ground across the entry plaza and reflecting pool.
The Sphere houses the planetarium theater, which is half submerged in the building. Embedded in the roof plane of the lower Museum wing, as if rising out of the Earth-bound horizon, the sphere gradually emerges into view as one rounds the building.
The Sphere houses the planetarium theater, which is half submerged in the building. Embedded in the roof plane of the lower Museum wing, as if rising out of the Earth-bound horizon, the sphere gradually emerges into view as one rounds the building.
Client: Shanghai Science & Technology Museum; Design Architect: Ennead Architects; Design Partner: Thomas Wong; Management Partner / Principal: V. Guy Maxwell / Grace Chen; Project Manager: Weiwei Kuang; Project Designer: Charles Wolf; Project Architect: Anthony Guaraldo; Design Team: Jorge Arias, Margarita Calero, Michael Caton, Christina Ciardullo, Eugene Colberg, Regina Jiang, Jörg Kiesow, Aidan Kim, Stefan Knust, Xinya Li, Francelle Lim, Xiaoyun Mao, David Monnar, Nikita Payusov, James Rhee, Yong Roh, Miya Ruan, Na Sun, Eric Tsui, Stephanie Tung, Charles Wong, David Yu, Fred Zhang; Exhibit: Xenario; Code, Life Safety, Lanscape, MEP, Structural: Shanghai Institute of Architectural Design & Research; Lighting: Brandston Partnership; General Contractor: Shanghai Construction No. 7. Crédit photo: Tom Rossiter
