Ennead Architects has won an international competition to design the Shanghai Planetarium. The “celestial” design hopes to elevate the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum’s (SSTM) “scientific and technological capacity” while redefine the district Lingang upon its completion in 2018.
“Drawing inspiration form astronomical principles, our design strategy provides a platform for the experience of orbital motion, and utilizes that as a metaphorical reference and generator of form,” says Ennead Architects.
“Three ‘celestial bodies’ comprise the architecture: the Oculus, the Inverted Dome, and the Sphere. Suspended above the main entry to the Museum, the Oculus demonstrates the passage of time by tracking a circle of sunlight on the ground across the entry plaza and reflecting pool. The Inverted Dome, which facilitates an authentic experience of both day and night sky, sits atop the central atrium around which all galleries are organized and through which all visitors pass.
“Finally the Sphere contains the domed screen of the Planetarium; a continuous skylight around the Sphere allows direct sunlight to enter and marks the passage of time in the Museum below, with a full circular ring of light realized at the non hour of the summer solstice.”
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Competition
Shanghai Planetarium -
Award
First Prize -
Architects
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Location
Lin Gang Da Dao, Pudong Xinqu, Shanghai Shi, China -
Area
409028.0 ft2 -
Project Year
2018 -
Photographs
