Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei

Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - FacadeMinsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - Facade, WindowsMinsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - FacadeMinsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - WindowsMinsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - More Images+ 20

  • Architect In Charge: Zhu Pei
  • Design Team: He Fan, Edwin Lam, Wang Zheng, Damboianu Albert Alexandru, Virginia Melnyk, Guo Nan, Ke Jun, Wang Peng, Li Gao
  • City: Beijing
  • Country: China
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Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - Facade
exterior. Image Courtesy of Studio Zhu-Pei

Text description provided by the architects. Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum is a renovation of an old factory from the 1980s. Its openness, diversity, flexibility make it different from typical galleries, which are always monotonous and secluded. It will be the largest public dedicated exhibition space for Chinese contemporary art.

Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - Facade, Windows
main entrance. Image Courtesy of Studio Zhu-Pei

The rapid urbanization brings us not only material civilization heritage, but also a huge amount of wastes. The propensity of love the new and loathe the old causes many old buildings being abandoned. The Panasonic factory at 798 area is devastated and ruined, but its rough, plain and real industrial building features happen to coincide with theattitude of contemporary art. The concept of Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum derives from the above, it respects the simplicity and reality of industrial buildings, aiming at the future of contemporary art space, challenging the high-sounding traditional art museum.

conceptual sketch
study model

1. diversity of spaces, replacing single space pattern of "white cube"
Comparing to traditional art, a distinguishing feature of contemporary art is the diversity form of representation. In order to facilitate this, Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum not only has the 5 meters clear height space of traditional art museum, but also has spaces of different sizes and dimensions: big box, middle box, small box, classic space, courtyard exhibition space, black box(multi-function performance, convention, exhibition spaces).

Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - Facade
1F lobby. Image © Qingzhu Photograph
Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - Windows
2F atirum. Image © Qingzhu Photograph

They are organized organically by the central space full of tension, combining with open exhibition spaces such as installation park in front of the art museum, exhibition platform on the rooftop, and central courtyard, forming a group of spaces with different dimensions and shapes.

Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - Image 6 of 25
1F lobby and atrium. Image © Qingzhu Photograph
Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - Stairs, Handrail
Main stair, Exhibition terrace, Amphitheatre. Image © Zhenning Fang

2. publicity and flexibility, replacing traditional mode of closure and solidity
Future art museum should be the art space of interaction and communication among public, art works and artists, rather than the temple of successful artists showing glory.

Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - Column
2F atrium. Image Courtesy of Studio Zhu-Pei
Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - Image 8 of 25
3F amphitheatre. Image © Zhenning Fang

The most meaningful moment of art work is the interaction and participation of the public, rather than the moment of its completion. Spaces that are flexible, useful, or even useless, can become the motivation of creativity for artists, of specific site and environment, therefore integrating art works, public and art museum as a whole.

Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei - Facade, Windows
courtyard, outdoor exhibition space. Image © Qingzhu Photograph

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Project location

Address:Beijing, China

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum / Studio Zhu-Pei" 28 Jul 2015. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/770963/minsheng-contemporary-art-museum-studio-pei-zhu-studio-pei-zhu> ISSN 0719-8884

view from the Art Plaza to the museum. Image Courtesy of Studio Zhu-Pei

北京民生现代美术馆 / 朱锫建筑设计事务所

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