Chinese Traditional Culture Museum / gmp Architects

The external design makes reference to the function of the building, which - with its changing color and light effects created by the sculptural structuring of the facade - is clearly visible from near and far. The museum building marks the northern end of Beijing's Central Axis and is not far from the National Stadium, the Bird's Nest, and the Asia Financial Center & AIIB Headquarters completed by gmp in 2021. The dimensions of the new building, which is 50 meters high, about 200 meters long, and 75 meters deep, result from the urban design guidelines for cultural buildings along the River Yangshan. The detailing of the wall and ceiling elements resonates with the design of the building envelope in terms of structure and color. The museum functions are arranged over three stories, with the temporary exhibitions allocated to the glazed intermediate level and the permanent exhibitions to the two stories of the main building volume. The structural design of the building with its large column-free areas lends itself to a great variety of exhibition scenarios. The three-dimensional effect of the building envelope is achieved with the large gap of almost one-and-a-half meters between the outer and inner facades and by a space structure consisting of pultruded profiles with a mat copper-colored coating that have been woven into a grid-like relief, projecting outward in the horizontal and inward in the vertical planes.