Location: Tianjin, China.

Architect: COX Architecture.

China’s first National Maritime Museum has opened its doors to the public after a six-year process that began with an international design competition. The museum, located in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin, comprises four wings focusing on the themes of “the ancient ocean,” “ocean today,” “journey of discovery” and “the age of the dragon.” The three-storey museum covers 80,000 square meters and contains six display areas and 15 exhibition halls, which are interconnected to provide visitors with an opportunity to understand and interpret China’s maritime evolution in relation to events in Europe, America, and wider Asia. The building, designed by COX Architecture, comprises a series of interconnected pavilions that cantilever out over the water in a ‘fan-like’ formation from a central reception hall. The articulated pavilions provide a constant connection between inside and out, and the user experience exists within the landscape. During development of the design, both physical and digital modelling was carried out to test the building structure and many of the key details of the design. The process was innovative in its deployment of parametric computer modelling that allowed both scale and detail to be resolved concurrently. Energy for the building is predominantly sourced via geothermal, being drawn from 100 metres below the building. The museum held its soft opening in May 2019, admitting up to 1,000 visitors a day while operations are refined and while exhibitions are fully installed. Full public operation is anticipated by October.

Photo credit: Terrence Zhang.