The Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art by Danish studio BIG, engineering firm Arts Group and architecture studio Front has topped out in China, with curved metal roofs designed as a “fifth facade”.
Located on Jinji Lake near the Suzhou Ferris Wheel, images of the museum’s construction progress show a series of tiered buildings connected by swooping metal roof planes.
“Against the open space of the lake, the gentle catenary curvature of the roofs forms a graceful silhouette on the waterfront,” said BIG founder Bjarke Ingels.
“Its nodular logic only becomes distinctly discernible when viewed from the [ferris wheel] gondolas above,” he continued. “The stainless roof tiles form a true fifth facade.”
Aiming to combine art and nature, the museum was designed by BIG in collaboration with Arts Group and Front as a series of pavilions that connect indoor and outdoor spaces.
Once complete, the curving roof will create sheltered walkways through gardens populated with artworks and water features. According to BIG, the design was informed by corridors typical of traditional láng gardens in Suzhou.
The museum’s facades will feature rippled, curved glass panes with warm-toned stainless-steel elements designed to reflect outdoor gardens.
“Our design for the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art is conceived as a Chinese garden of pavilions and courtyards,” said Ingels.
“Individual pavilions are woven together by glazed galleries and porticoes, creating a network of interconnected sculpture courtyards and exhibition spaces.”
Scheduled for completion in 2025, the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art will contain main galleries in four of the pavilion-like spaces. A multifunctional hall, theatre, restaurant and main entrance space will be spread across the other structures.
Bridges and tunnels lined with stone will connect the tiered building at different levels, providing indoor and outdoor routes throughout for visitors to explore.
“We envision the láng, a traditional element of Suzhou gardens, gracefully winding through the landscapes and transforming into pavilions,” said BIG partner Catherine Huang.
“In doing so, it frames the contemporary gardens, making them an integral part of the exhibition, as significant as the artwork within.”
Projects recently completed by BIG include a curved tower in Ecuador made up of L-shaped stacked blocks and a pair of twisting residential skyscrapers in New York.
The photography is by Justin Szeremeta unless stated.
