Two 100-year-old German warehouses in Wuhan, China, central China’s most populous city, will be conjoined to create a 150,000-sf Metro Museum. The new building will use 75,000 sf of the site for the museum while 64,000 sf will be for commercial use, including restaurants, a café, and a gift shop.
One of the museums entrances will be underground inside the Line 7 Metro Station. Escalators will provide visitors entering via this entrance with views of each museum floor through incased glass as they ascend to the top of the four-level museum. The museum’s focal point is a tunnel-boring machine used to excavate metro tunnels. The boring machine extends two floors and is visible through floor-to-ceiling windows outside of the building. A circular ramp allows visitors to gain a close-up view of the parts and details of the machine.
Rendering courtesy of GreenbergFarrow.
Once arriving at the fourth floor, guests will walk through a Visitor’s Center where they can explore the museum’s cabinet of curiosities (small collections of objects) as they descend an atria spiral staircase from the top floor to the ground floor. The ground level includes restaurants, a sculpture garden, and an auditorium.
“Our goal was to optimize the space to function as both a place of curiosity and socialization, with multiple revenue streams for the museum. Generating revenue beyond the admission fee is critical to the fiscal health of museums today,” says Rodney Abney, Principal of GreenbergFarrow, in a release.
Rendering courtesy of GreenbergFarrow.
The new museum will become the largest and most comprehensive Metro Museum in China. It is expected to cost $40.8 million and open in September 2019.
Rendering courtesy of GreenbergFarrow.
Rendering courtesy of GreenbergFarrow.
Related Stories
Museums | Jan 19, 2017
Turning museums inside out: White paper addresses the value of exterior gallery space
Many contemporary museum designs are beginning to utilize the exterior wall space to display art that can help attract new audiences.
Museums | Dec 15, 2016
The design of the Shanghai Planetarium draws inspiration from astronomical principles
Housed within the 400,000-sf building will be the world’s largest planetarium theater.
Museums | Dec 15, 2016
The Grand Louvre - Phase I honored with AIA Twenty-five Year Award
The award recognizes an architectural design that has stood the test of time for 25 years.
Sponsored | Museums | Dec 1, 2016
Monumental museum features Fluropon to highlight heritage and high-esteem
The building is an important landmark for the nation, and is built on the last available spot on the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Museums | Nov 18, 2016
Plans for the expansion and renovation of the Asian Art Museum in Seattle unveiled
LMN Architects is the architect and interior designer for the Bebb and Gould-designed museum.
Museums | Nov 17, 2016
The Guggenheim Helsinki has one final chance to become a reality
The museum’s fate will be decided with a final vote on a new proposal.
Museums | Nov 8, 2016
Museum of the Bible to use technology to bring the Bible to life
The museum will be two blocks from the National Mall and three blocks from the Capitol.
Museums | Oct 11, 2016
Santiago Calatrava-designed Museum of Tomorrow awarded 'Best New Museum of the Year – Central/South America' by Leading Culture Destinations
The museum opened in 2015 in Rio de Janeiro’s Porto Maravilha
Museums | Oct 10, 2016
New, larger Statue of Liberty Museum being built on Liberty Island
The museum will look to complement the Statue of Liberty without drawing attention away from it
Museums | Sep 21, 2016
Design guidelines for museums, archives, and art storage facilities
Specialty Buildings Column Series, Part 2 of 6 [Click Here to Part 1]
