Stefano Boeri Architetti’s satellite office in China won the competition for the Culture CBD Modern Technology Experience Center, a Museum of Technology designed to become a great scientific and cultural hub for the city and its visitors. The winning project of Stefano Boeri Architects it is inspired on the one hand by the ancient origins of the city of Xi’an, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi, and on the other by the local natural landscape, characterized by a winding system of rivers and mountains.
The aim of the project is to create a permeable system and open to the public, capable of activating new urban connections on different levels. The project site overlooks an urban park to the north, while to the south it borders a city street. The museum project is part of a sequence of public spaces and addresses the park and the city with distinct strategies. The north facade, facing the park, recalls the natural element through its curves and is covered with vertical metal slats; while the southern façade, facing the city, is clad with horizontal slats of very high performance concrete (GRC) reinforced with glass fibers to ensure high durability and better mechanical properties.
In coverage the project includes a roof garden in continuity with the park and a system of terraces that allows visitors to climb the building and gain a new look at the surrounding urban panorama. The steps and green terraces accessible to citizens, which will be an integral part of the museum’s cultural program of events – the different areas will host screenings, activities, shows and performances – as well as offering citizens a new public outdoor space, with unprecedented views on the park and the city. The greenery project for the roof garden includes six plant essences chosen as the main varieties for the tree species – including Ginko Biloba, Acer Pictum and Pinus Bungeana – twelve types of shrubs and twelve perennial herbaceous species, selected from the typical local essences of the Chinese natural landscape.
As regards internal distribution, the project provides four main exhibition spaces, a temporary exhibition space and commercial areas. A double-height central atrium connects the different areas and guarantees complete accessibility and usability, according to the principles of “Design for All”.
The specific shades of bluehighly saturated and bright, already widespread in the fields of digital art and design, was chosen as the representative chromatic element of the project and characterizes the public areas and exhibition spaces, as well as the signage elements and land art works in the park .
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