The Museum of Contemporary Art & Planning Exhibition (MOCAPE) is part of the master plan for the Futian Cultural District, the new urban center of Shenzhen, designed by Wolf D Prix's firm Coop Himmelb(l)au and opened to the public in Shenzhen, China. The project combines two independent yet structurally unified institutions: The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Planning Exhibition (PE) as a cultural meeting point and a venue for architectural exhibitions. The lobby, multifunctional exhibition halls, auditorium, conference rooms and service areas will be used jointly.

Both museums are designed as separate entities emphasizing their individual functional and artistic requirements and yet are merged in a monolithic body surrounded by a multifunctional facade. This transparent facade and a sophisticated internal lighting concept allow a deep view into the joint entrance and transitional areas between the buildings. 

Image © Szeto Wing

From the inside, visitors are granted an unhindered view onto the city suggesting they are somewhere in a gently shaded outdoor area, an impression enhanced by 6 to 17 meter high, completely open and column-free exhibition areas.

Behind the entrance area between the museums, visitors ascend to the main level by ramps and escalators and enter the “Plaza”, which serves as a point of departure for tours of the museums. From the Plaza the rooms for cultural events, a multi-functional hall, several auditoriums and a library can be accessed.

Image © Szeto Wing

A silvery shining and softly deformed “Cloud” serves as a central orientation and access element on the Plaza. On several floors the Cloud hosts a number of public functions such as a café, a book store and a museum store and it joins the exhibitions rooms of both museums with bridges and ramps. With its curved surface the Cloud opens into the space reflecting the idea of two museums under one roof. 

The MOCAPE monolith completes the eastern part of the master plan for the city center and fills the last gap in the Futian Cultural District between the „Youth Activity Hall“ (YAH) to the north and the opera-library complex to the south.

Image © Szeto Wing

Similar to other buildings in this district, the main level of the MOCAPE lies 10 meters above the ground level and so creates a stage-like platform, which acts as a unifying element with the adjacent buildings.

The exterior skin consists of an outer layer of natural stone louvers and the actual climate envelope made from insulated glass. These elements form a dynamic surface, which is structurally independent from the mounting framework of the museum buildings. This functional exterior envelops the two museums, a vertical access and entertainment element (Cloud), the public Plaza, and the multifunctional base.

Image © Szeto Wing

The technical building equipment is designed to reduce the overall need of external energy sources: Pollution free systems and facilities use renewable energy sources through solar and geothermal energy (with a ground water cooling system) and only systems with high energy efficiency have been implemented. The roof of the museum filters daylight for the exhibition rooms, which reduces the need for artificial lighting.

Image © Szeto Wing

With this combination of state of the art technological components, a compact building volume, thermal insulation and efficient sun shading the MOCAPE is not only an architectural landmark but also an ecological and environmentally friendly benchmark project.

Image © Szeto Wing

Image © Szeto Wing

Image © Szeto Wing

Image © Szeto Wing

Image © Szeto Wing

Image © Szeto Wing

Image © Szeto Wing

Image © Szeto Wing

Image © Coop Himmelb(l)au - Wolf D. Prix & Partner

Image © Coop Himmelb(l)au - Wolf D. Prix & Partner

Image © Coop Himmelb(l)au - Wolf D. Prix & Partner

Image © Coop Himmelb(l)au - Wolf D. Prix & Partner

Image © Coop Himmelb(l)au - Wolf D. Prix & Partner

Image © Coop Himmelb(l)au - Wolf D. Prix & Partner

Image © Coop Himmelb(l)au - Wolf D. Prix & Partner

Image © Coop Himmelb(l)au - Wolf D. Prix & Partner

Image © Coop Himmelb(l)au - Wolf D. Prix & Partner

Image © Coop Himmelb(l)au - Wolf D. Prix & Partner

Project Facts

Client: Shenzhen Municipal Culture Bureau, Shenzhen, China/Shenzhen Municipal Planning Bureau, Shenzhen, China

Planning: Coop Himmelb(l)au – Wolf D. Prix & Partner ZT GmbH

Design Principal: Wolf D. Prix
Project Partner: Markus Prossnigg

Design Architects: Quirin Krumbholz, Jörg Hugo, Mona Bayr
Project Architects: Angus Schoenberger, Veronika Janovska, Tyler Bornstein
Project Coordination: Xinyu Wan
Project Team: Jessie Castro, Jessie Chen, Jasmin Dieterle, Luis Ferreira, Peter Grell, Paul Hoszowsky, Dimitar Ivanov, Ivana Jug, Zhu Yuang Kang, Alexander Karaivanov, Nam La-Chi, Rodelle Lee, Feng Lei, Megan Lepp, Samuel Liew, Thomas Margaretha, Jens Mehlan, Ivo de Nooijer, Reinhard Platzl, Vincenzo Possenti, Pete Rose, Ana Santos, Jutta Schädler, Günther Weber, Chen Yue
Digital Project Team: Angus Schoenberger, Matt Kirkham, Jasmin Dieterle, Jonathan Asher, Jan Brosch

Local Architects: HSArchitects, Shenzhen, China

Structural Engineering: B+G Ingenieure, Bollinger und Grohmann GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany

Mechanical Engineering: Reinhold Bacher, Vienna, Austria

Lighting Design: AG Licht, Bonn, Germany

Cost Management: Davis Langdon & Seah, Hong Kong, China

Competition (1st Prize): 2007

Start of Planning: 2008

Start of Construction: 2013

Completion: 2016

Site Area: 21,688 m²

Gross Floor Area: 80,000 m²

Building Height/Length/Width: 40 m / 160 m / 140 m

Number of Stories: 7

Top image © Szeto Wing

> via Coop Himmelb(l)au