Atelier Jean Nouvel's monumental granite-clad museum in Shanghai's Pudong district is now complete and open to visitors. Labeled as a "domain" by the architecture firm, the Museum of Art Pudong covers an expansive plot of almost 40,000 sqm on the outer banks of the Huangpu River, and offers visitors a culture-driven space surrounded by the river and an undulating landscape of tall trees.
Clad with warm white granite stones, the museum drops down to the water, lightening the hue of its facade. The museum's restaurant is situated on a loggia that towers above the river, and offers visitors a panoramic view of the bund and its boats. The plot is visually and physically separated from the neighboring towers through a set of tall trees, a V-shaped linear garden of approximately 700 meters, that create a thick dark frame around the site and bring out a flow of air all around the space. The landscape, the stone field, the forecourt, the terrace, and the waterfront walkway will feature contemporary sculptures and art pieces that illuminate from day to night.
The domain’s stone surfaces vary in size and are textured with a raindrop pattern that serve as a slight non-slip relief. The sharps angles used across the structure will be lined with metal to further define its sharpness. The rooms on the top floor along with the exhibition space in the atrium will be lit with natural overhead lighting provided by micro sheds. In addition to artificial light, the firm added windows to frame selected parts of the landscape, offering visitors views of the neighboring city.
Some of the most important features of the museum are the screens. Two vertical screen-signs, one above the museum and one on top of the ventilation tower, are linked at night by laser beams that form intersecting lines of light above the museum. The western side screen on the Bund side is designed as a "testament to the art of the 21st century". It is a mutating, double-glazed facade with mirrors and projections shaped as a long rectangular unit. The screen will be a gallery of large-scale mirrors fixed over two superimposed floors. During the day, the western side screen on the bund will be installation spaces or performance spaces. As for the night, the screen will be programmed as a video space.
Architect: Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Architects of Record: TJAD Shanghai - Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co., LTD
