China Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects

China Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects - Fence, Cityscape, HandrailChina Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects - Image 3 of 18China Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects - Windows, CityscapeChina Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects - FacadeChina Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects - More Images+ 13

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China Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects - Facade
© Xiazhi

Text description provided by the architects. Appearing so evident amidst a thriving metropolitan district of Harbin, China, spanning 200 meters in length, the China Wood Sculpture Museum sits as a locational anomaly, seemingly out of place, surrounded by a densely populated Chinese-style neighborhood and residential complexes. The museum embodies some of the foremost conceptual and formal ideals that define the work of MAD, bringing out an expression and abstraction of nature to an otherwise quotidian surrounding. The boundaries between solid and liquid are blurred throughout this 13,000 sqm building, referencing the local natural scenery and landscape.

China Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects - Image 9 of 18
© Iwan Baan

The building's exterior is covered by polished steel plates, mirroring the surroundings and the changing light. The solid walls ensure minimal heat loss while the breaking and twisting motion of the emerging skylights splits the surface and allows in light from the low-hanging sun of northern China; this provides sufficient natural diffused illumination to the three halls on the interior.

China Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects - Cityscape
© Iwan Baan

The museum mainly houses local wood sculptures as well as paintings depicting the ice and snow of the regional scenery. In the context of the large-scale modern urban setting, the museum itself serves as a new interpretation of nature. The surreal interaction between the museum and the city breaks through the tedium of the urban shell, revitalizing the surroundings with a new cultural feature.

China Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects - Image 17 of 18
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Address:Harbin, 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: "China Wood Sculpture Museum / MAD Architects" 11 Apr 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/358346/china-wood-sculpture-museum-mad-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

© Xiazhi

中国木雕博物馆 / MAD Architects

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