Datong, China
Foster + Partners

“The museum is conceived as a social center for people – an ‘urban living room’ for Datong – bringing people, art and artists together in a space where they can interact. At the heart of the museum, the Grand Gallery exemplifies this spirit, with a flexible and generously sized exhibition space designed to accommodate specially commissioned large-scale artworks and artistic performances.

Luke Fox
Head of the studio. The shape of the building has been created as a landscaped terrain with a series of interconnected pyramids emerging from underground – the gallery spaces are underground and surrounded by landscaped plazas. Upon entering the building, visitors arrive at a mezzanine level with a spectacular view of the Grand Gallery, none other than the social heart of the museum, which rises some 37 meters and stretches almost eighty meters. Other air-conditioned exhibition spaces are arranged around the perimeter of the museum on one level for easy access.

The project is presented in the exhibition ARCHIcommunity: Architecture for the Community 2023 Venice, Italy (link to the catalogue)