Location: Hangzhou, China.

Architect: MVRDV.

The Dutch team MVRDV has won the design competition for the China Comic and Animation Museum (CCAM) in Hangzhou, China. The museum will occupy a 32,000 sq m area and will include a series of parks, a public square, and a 13,000 sq m exhibition center. The eight balloon-shaped buildings made of concrete and glass will have specific functions, connected to each other by a continuous exhibition path. The museum will feature a common indoor square, a library, screening rooms, a training center for comics and anime, an exhibition gallery for the permanent collection of the museum, and three auditoriums with a total of 1,100 seats. The interactive area will allow visitors to experience various animation techniques, including traditional and digital drawing, stop motion, and a giant 3D zoetrope. The project aims to create a new connection between the worlds of art and entertainment and to turn comics into 3D. The cost of the project is estimated at €92m, and construction is expected to begin in 2012.

Photo credit: Winy Maas.