The recently completed 420,000-sf Shanghai Astronomy Museum is set to open on July 18. The new astronomical branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is the largest museum in the world solely dedicated to the study of astronomy.
The building does not include any straight lines or right angles as a nod to the geometry of the universe and the dynamic energy of celestial movement. Design inspiration was drawn from the “three-body problem” in physics, which looks to the intricate choreographies created by gravitational attraction of multiple bodies within solar systems.
The building’s envelope traces a series of arcing paths that are influenced by gravitational pull: the heart of the central atrium, the forward momentum at the entry, and the planet-like sphere that envelopes the planetarium theater. Additionally, the museum’s three principal architectural components, the Oculus, the Inverted Dome, and the Sphere, act as functioning astronomical instruments that track the sun, moon, and stars.
The Oculus is suspended over the museum’s main entry and demonstrates the passage of time by tracking a circle of sunlight on the ground across the entry plaza and reflecting pool. The Sphere houses the planetarium theater, which is half submerged in the building. The Sphere derives its shape from the programmatic element it contains, but also from an abstract manifestation of a primary celestial form. With minimal visible support, the Sphere evokes an illusion of weightlessness and anti-gravity. The Inverted Dome is a large, inverted glass tension structure that sits on top of the central atrium at the roof line. Visitors will have the ability to occupy the center of the glass dish with an unimpeded view of the sky. The Inverted Dome acts as the culmination of the exhibit journey. A 720-degree spiraling ramp inside the museum and underneath the Inverted Dome traces the orbital flow of the visitor sequence throughout the museum exhibits and draws the eye upward to its apex.
The museum grounds include buildings and programming such as temporary and permanent exhibits, a 78-foot solar telescope, an observatory, an optical Planetarium, an Education and Research Center, and a Digital Sky Theater. Programming at the museum will feature immersive environments, artifacts and instruments of space exploration, and educational exhibits.
A ceremony to celebrate the museum’s opening will be held on July 17.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
2019 Cultural Facility Giants Report: New libraries are all about community
The future of libraries is less about being quiet and more about hands-on learning and face-to-face interactions. This and more cultural sector trends from BD+C's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Museums | Sep 20, 2019
Kistefos Museum’s new art institution doubles as a bridge to connect two riverbanks
BIG designed the project.
Museums | Aug 21, 2019
Cincinnati Reds debut renovated Reds Hall of Fame and Museum
FRCH NELSON designed the project.
Museums | Aug 8, 2019
The Challenge Museum includes a two minute walk through farmland to reach the building
UNStudio is designing the project.
Museums | Aug 1, 2019
Foster + Partners wins competition for the expansion and remodeling of the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
The design looks to reorient the museums towards the city.
Museums | Jul 29, 2019
A new museum debuts inside the Empire State Building
A $165 million, 10,000-sf museum opened on the second floor of the Empire State Building in New York City, completing the second of a four-phase “reimagining” of that building’s observatory experience, which draws four million visitors annually.
Museums | Jul 22, 2019
Berlin’s Museum Island receives its first new building in almost 100 years
David Chipperfield Architects designed the building.
Museums | Jun 28, 2019
OMA unveils design for New Museum's second gallery building
The building is being designed by Office for Metropolitan Architecture/Shohei Shigematsu in collaboration with Cooper Robertson.
Museums | Jun 18, 2019
Frank Lloyd Wright Trust announces new Visitor and Education Center
Architect John Ronan will design the building.