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OPEN Architecture releases updated images and details for cell-like Dune Art Museum in China

China Architecture News - Sep 04, 2018 - 06:30   19023 views

OPEN Architecture releases updated images and details for cell-like Dune Art Museum in China

Beijing-based architecture studio OPEN Architecture has released the recent construction photos and details about the cell-like Dune Art Museum in sand dunes of China. 

Located in the Aranya Gold Coast Community in Beidaihe, the UCCA Dune, designed by OPEN Architecture and commissioned by Aranya, will officially be programmed and operated by the UCCA Foundation, announced at a press conference held by UCCA in Beijing on September 1, 2018.

As of September 2018, the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA), China's leading independent institution of contemporary art, has formally announced the establishment of its first museum beyond Beijing—the UCCA Dune. 

OPEN Architecture releases updated images and details for cell-like Dune Art Museum in China

UCCA Dune Construction. Image © OPEN

The UCCA Dune's full slate of exhibitions and projects will unfold in dialogue with the building’s unique form and relationship to its natural surroundings. 

The museum, which faces the Bohai Sea, spans a total area of 930 square meters and will include seven indoor and three outdoor galleries. The museum's exterior is largely covered by surrounding sand dunes, allowing the museum to seamlessly blend into the beauty of its natural environment. 

OPEN Architecture releases updated images and details for cell-like Dune Art Museum in China

UCCA Dune Construction. Image © OPEN

While its exterior is fully integrated with nature, its interior spaces are a mysterious network of organically shaped "caves"—the primal home of mankind and the site of some of humanity's earliest artistic creations. 

OPEN Architecture releases updated images and details for cell-like Dune Art Museum in China

UCCA Dune Construction. Image © Tian Fangfang

"OPEN, UCCA, and Aranya share the same view regarding the relationship between humanity, nature, and art. The decision to create the art museum underneath the dunes surrounding it was born out of both a deep reverence for nature and a desire to protect the vulnerable dune ecosystem, formed by the wind and sea over thousands of years," said OPEN Architecture.

"Because of the museum, these sand dunes will be preserved instead of leveled to make space for ocean-view real estate developments, as has happened to other dunes along the shore," added the studio.

The Dune Art Museum will be made up of a series of cell-like connected spaces accommodating the UCCA Dune’s rich and varied programs, including differently-sized galleries, studios, and a café.

OPEN Architecture releases updated images and details for cell-like Dune Art Museum in China

UCCA Dune Construction. Image © Tian Fangfang

After passing through a long, dark tunnel and a small reception area, the space suddenly opens up as visitors enter the largest multifunctional gallery, where a beam of daylight from the skylight above silently yet powerfully fills the space. 

A spiral staircase leads to a lookout on the sand dune, guiding curious audiences from the dark recesses of the museum’s cave-like galleries to the vast openness of sky and sea above. 

OPEN Architecture releases updated images and details for cell-like Dune Art Museum in China

UCCA Dune Construction. Image © Ni Nan

Looking through different openings framed by the building, museum-goers can observe the ever-changing expressions of the sky and sea throughout the day. In the near future, a long walkway will be built opposite the UCCA Dune, extending into the ocean. 

When the tide is low and the walkway rises above the water, people will be able to walk to the Sea Art Museum, which will rise out of the sea like a solitary rock. Together, these two museums will form a “Dialogue by the Sea.”

OPEN Architecture releases updated images and details for cell-like Dune Art Museum in China

UCCA Dune Construction. Image © OPEN

The establishment of the UCCA Dune was officially announced at a press conference held by UCCA in Beijing on September 1, 2018. In attendance were Li Hu and Huang Wenjing, OPEN’s founding partners and the principals-in-charge of the UCCA Dune. Together with UCCA director Philip Tinari and Aranya co-founder Ma Yin, Li Hu introduced the origin and design concept of the UCCA Dune to members of the press at the conference.  

OPEN Architecture releases updated images and details for cell-like Dune Art Museum in China

UCCA Dune Construction. Image © Xia Zhi

The UCCA Dune is expected to be completed in the second half of this year. Its inaugural exhibition, “After Nature”, will explore the shifting relationship between humans and nature against the backdrop of China’s last three decades of breakneck development. The exhibition will open in the fall.

OPEN Architecture releases updated images and details for cell-like Dune Art Museum in China

"Dialogue by the Sea" Section. Image © OPEN

OPEN was founded by LI Hu and HUANG Wenjing in New York City. It established its Beijing office in 2008. Some built and ongoing projects by OPEN include: the Gehua Youth and Cultural Center, Garden School/Beijing No.4 High School Fangshan Campus, Tsinghua Ocean Center, Pingshan Performing Arts Center, Tank Shanghai, UCCA Dune, and Chapel of Sound.

Top image: UCCA Dune Construction. Image © OPEN

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