Wood Sculpture Museum: China Building

Wood Sculpture Museum, Harbin Development, China Building, Chinese Architecture, Architect

China Wood Sculpture Museum, Harbin

Chinese Archive Building design by MAD Architects

10 Apr 2013

China Wood Sculpture Museum

Design: MAD Architects

Location: Harbin, China

China Wood Sculpture Museum
photo : Iwan Baan

China Wood Sculpture Museum in Harbin

Beijing, April 09, 2013 – MAD Architects unveiled the completed China Wood Sculpture Museum located in Harbin, China. The 200-meter long building, sheathed in metal, sits nestled in a densely residential area, adding a cultural and surreal essence to the surrounding urban context.

China Wood Sculpture Museum
photo : Xiazhi

Appearing so evident amidst a thriving metropolitan district of Harbin, China, spanning 200 meters in length, the China Wood Sculpture Museum sits as a locational anomaly, seemingly out of place, surrounded by a densely populated Chinese-style neighborhood and residential complexes.

China Wood Sculpture Museum
photo : Xiazhi

The museum embodies some of the foremost conceptual and formal ideals that define the work of MAD, bringing out an expression and abstraction of nature to an otherwise quotidian surrounding. The boundaries between solid and liquid are blurred throughout this 13,000 sqm building, referencing the local natural scenery and landscape.

China Wood Sculpture Museum
photo : Xiazhi

The building’s exterior is covered by polished steel plates, mirroring the surroundings and the changing light. The solid walls ensure minimal heat loss while the breaking and twisting motion of the emerging skylights splits the surface and allows in light from the low-hanging sun of northern China; this provides sufficient natural diffused illumination to the three halls on the interior.

China Wood Sculpture Museum design by MAD Architects China Wood Sculpture Museum in Harbin China Wood Sculpture Museum Building
photos : Iwan Baan

The museum mainly houses local wood sculptures as well as paintings depicting the ice and snow of the regional scenery. In the context of the large-scale modern urban setting, the museum itself serves as a new interpretation of nature. The surreal interaction between the museum and the city breaks through the tedium of the urban shell, revitalizing the surroundings with a new cultural feature.

Chinese Archive Building design by MAD Architects Archive Building design by MAD Architects China Wood Sculpture Museum Harbin
photos : Iwan Baan

China Wood Sculpture Museum Harbin – Building Information

2009 – 2013
Location: Harbin, China
Program: Museum
Site Area: 9,788 m2
Building Area: 12,959 m2
Building Length: 196 m
Building Height: 21 m

China Wood Sculpture Museum
photo : Xiazhi

Associate Engineers: The Architectural Design and Research Institute of Harbin Institute of Technology
Curtain Wall Consultant: Inhabit Group
Panel Optimization: Gehry Technologies
Steel Structure Contractor: Zhejiang Jing Gong Steel Structure Co. Ltd.

Harbin architecture Harbin design by MAD Architects Harbin building design by MAD Architects
images from architect

Director in Charge: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun
Design Team: Yu Kui, Daniel Gillen, Bas van Wylick, Diego Perez, Jordan Kanter, Huang Wei, Julian Sattler, Liu Weiwei, Tang Liu, Mao Peihong, Maria Alejandra Obregon, Nickolas Urano, Gus Chan, Shin Park, Alejandro Gonzalez

China Wood Sculpture Museum China Wood Sculpture Museum China Wood Sculpture Museum China Wood Sculpture Museum
images from architect

China Wood Sculpture Museum images / information from MAD Architects

New Building in Harbin design by MAD Architects

Location: Harbin, People’s Republic of China

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Comments / photos for the China Wood Sculpture MuseumChinese Architecture page welcome