Shanghai Natural History Museum
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| Shanghai Natural History Museum |
This project for the Shanghai Natural History Museum is consistent with
Chinese garden design in that it approaches the spirit of nature, but
does not imitate it. Through its relationship to the site, it represents
the harmony of man and nature and is an abstraction of the basic
elements of Chinese art and design. The museum sits adjacent to an urban
sculpture park. The shape and building organization are inspired by the
nautilus shell, one the purest geometric forms found in nature.
A
spiraling landscaped plane rises out of the park recalling the
harmonious forms and proportions of the nautilus shell. This plane
terminates in a roof deck which provides views of the park and
surrounding city. Within this spiraling plane is an oval courtyard which
contains a stepped garden composed of rock formations and water
features which recalls the tradition of the “Mountain Water Garden.”
This courtyard serves as an orientation device for the exhibition areas
which spiral down below grade. The landscaping concept integrates the
museum into the landscape of the existing sculpture park while also
reinforcing its message. Plant groupings of wild and untamed species and
rock formations act as metaphors of the primordial forest. Paving
composed of multidirectional stone shapes recall the tectonic plates of
the earth. This surface acts as the tabula rasa of the scheme as it
rises out of the park setting. The museum will be a bioclimatic building
which responds to the sun using an appropriately oriented intelligent
building skin to maximize daylight and minimize solar gain.
The pond in
the oval courtyard will provide evaporative cooling while the
temperature of the earth will provide heating and cooling by using a
geothermal system. Rain water will be collected from the vegetated roof
and stored in the pond along with recycled grey water. All of the energy
features of the museum will be part of exhibits which will explain the
story of the museum. The facades express the museum's message and
content. The structural network and sunscreen lining the curved inner
façade facing the oval courtyard, are an abstraction of patterns found
in traditional Chinese garden pavilions and also suggest human cell
organization. The north wall suggests the layering of tectonic plates.
The east wall is a living wall, bringing the horizontal plane of the
park onto the vertical surface, forming an arcade and representing the
vegetation of the earth’s surface. These features focus our awareness on
the fundamental elements of the natural world: plants, earth and water.
Shanghai Natural History Museum Graphic files:
Article by: Architecture Design
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