Foster + Partner’s Datong Art Museum opens to the public, with a serious mission of bringing together common people and artists. The design begins from below the earth, to finally emerge as a sequence of interconnected pyramids forming a distinct sculptural form.
Datong comprises a hub for local creative industries, a Grand Gallery, dedicated children’s gallery, media library, archive, art storage facilities and other exhibition spaces.
“The museum is conceived as a social hub for people – an ‘urban living room’ for Datong – that brings 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 generously scaled, flexible exhibition space designed to accommodate specially commissioned large-scale artworks as well as performance art and other events.”– added Luke Fox, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners
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The steel structure containing concrete base was used for constuction, as an effective response to the large structural span of the building. Also, the aspiration to create a vast, flexible column-free volume below was carried out by using space truss roof with reinforced concrete shear wall.
A convoluted series of ramps at the entry escort to the open sunken plaza which also transforms as an amphitheatre space for outdoor performances. Throughout the museum, strong diagonal paths in the landscaping guide the visitors to various points and places from the entry to the exit. At the entry, visitors arrive at a mezzanine level offering striking views of the entire Grand Gallery, which measures 37 metres tall and eighty metres in span. The Grand Gallery, therefore, is the social heart of the museum allowing spaces for large scale installations and exhibits.
The three dimensional quality to the steel roof structure is outdone by the application of naturally oxidied curved steel plates which also helps to drain water. Further, the panels are proportioned to suit the large scale of the museum while their linear arrangement accentuates the pyramidal roof form. The roof is mostly solid and is insulated to twice the building code requirements.
In responding actively and humbly to the surrounding cultural buildings, the building is designed to be sunk into the new plaza, along with a high-perfomance enclosure to redice energy demand. A clerestory between each volume creates a naturally lit interior during the day, while creating a unique beacon for the new cultural quarter at night. The north and north-west orientation of the building is further utilised through the high-level skylights, ensuring minimum solar radiation and ideal environment for the art works on display at Datong.
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