Lacaton & Vassal

new Museum . Guangzhou

LACATON & VASSAL ARCHITECTES

Guangzhou is a modern city, in permanent evolution and expansion.
The project of the new Guangzhou Museum that will exhibit in particular elements of the city history, leads us to consider the history of the foundation of the city, in relation with it’s further development.

The actual Zhenhai museum, in Yuexiu parc, with it’s simple and pure form, and it’s osmosis with the parc that surrounds it, is a source of inspiration.
Located in the north of the historical axis of the city, the museum and it’s parc are marking elements of the history of the city and it’s creation.
In the parc, a monumental statue celebrates Guangzhou’s legend. It represents the five rams, symbols of the immortals that brought rice and prosperity to the city.

The site of the new museum, installed on the new city axis, nearby Pearl river, benefits from similar conditions with the existing museum.
This new 12km axis is marked by the presence of Canton tower in the north of the site, and three projects of museums, including an art museum and a science museum that will face the new Guangzhou city museum.
The site dedicated to the future city museum has already exceptional qualities.
It is occupied by Chigang pagoda, historical monument surrounded by a vaste green space which exuberant nature is stimulated by the climat.
The museum’s project is implemented in the southern part of the site.
It is precisely wedged on the limits of the construction plot, on it’s four sides and it’s height. It lean on the city to open itself to the green parc.
The volume is hollowed in the west, to house the semi-basement substation, which visual impact is thus limited.
The architecture of the project takes it’s inspiration in reference with the traditional museum transposed into modernity.
It is fine, elementary and efficient, in order to generate the largest amount of surface for the artworks the museum and the visitors.
It’s architecture is pure, modern, opened and transparent. It creates public spaces for the visitor both inside, at every level and outside on the covered galleries, the big terrasses, and the roof.
An opened structure with large spans defines a set of superimposed platforms that generate large free plans closed by glass facades.
They continue on the outside, forming wide external covered gangways around the museum spaces. The glass façades, transparent from floors to ceilings let the gaze free and merge the outside and the inside.
The roof of the museum becomes a space for the public offering a panoramic view on the city.

FIGURE
The architecture of the project takes it’s inspiration in reference with the traditional museum transposed into modernity.
It is fine, elementary and efficient, in order to generate the largest amount of surface for the artworks the museum and the visitors.
It’s architecture is pure, modern, opened and transparent. It creates public spaces for the visitor both inside, at every level and outside on the covered galleries, the big terrasses, and the roof.
An opened structure with large spans defines a set of superimposed platforms that generate large free plans closed by glass facades.
They continue on the outside, forming wide external covered gangways around the museum spaces. The glass façades, transparent from floors to ceilings let the gaze free and merge the outside and the inside.
The roof of the museum becomes a space for the public offering a panoramic view on the city.

ARCHITECTURE
The architecture of the museum is very opened and let the landscape penetrate it. The limit exists physically but it becomes light, openable.
The garden and Chigang pagoda are an integral part of the Museum.
The luxuriance of the garden will be maintained, as it’s savage an mysterious character, like a piece of nature in the very centre of the city.
It will be developed to create a botanical garden with floral species, new varieties of plants, forming a botanical collection, identified and captioned, like artworks of the Museum.
By it’s density, the garden is the indispensable hyphen between the Museum and the Pagoda.
Together they create an extraordinary place, a new image of the City and it’s history.

Location : Guangzhou, China
Design year : Competition, non prize winner
Client : Administration of Culture, Press, Publication, Radio and Television of Guangzhou municipality
Architects :
Anne Lacaton & Jean Philippe Vassal
with, Cloé Cazade chief project, Liang Ma architect 3D, Zhen Ren, Arthur Julien, Zhang Yuansheng collaborators
Rebecca Digne and Justine Emard, films
Sébastien Lecaille, model
Program :
Exhibition rooms, collection storehouse, administration, library data center, research laboratories, restaurant, amphitheater, shops, garden
Size : 79 705 sqm
Cost : 12 milliards RMB Yuan