The satellite practice of Stefano Boeri Architetti in China has won a competition for the Culture CBD Modern Technology Experience Center, a technology museum designed to become a large scientific and cultural hub for the city and its visitors.

Stefano Boeri Architetti was inspired both by the ancient origins of the city of Xi'an capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi and by the local natural landscape, characterized by a tortuous system of rivers and mountains.

The design aims to create a permeable system that opens to the public, capable of activating new urban connections on different levels.

"The Xi'an museum will be an architecture open to everybody, designed to activate a process of urban regeneration in the area and involve a wide audience – from technology enthusiasts to children and students," said Stefano Boeri.

"A place of study, in-depth analysis, research and technological innovation, in the heart of one of the most important cities in Chinese history," Boeri added.

The project site overlooks an urban park to the north, while to the south it borders a city street.

Set to be a part of a sequence of public spaces, it is intended to address the park and the city with distinct strategies. 

The north facade, facing the park, acting like a natural element through its curves. The curved façade is clad in vertical metal slats, while the southern façade, facing the city, is clad with horizontal slats of very high-performance concrete (GRC) reinforced with glass fibres to ensure high durability and better mechanical properties.

The key feature of the development of its roof - the roof includes a hanging garden in continuity with the park and a system of terraces that allows visitors to climb up to the building and gain a new look at the surrounding urban panorama. 

Citizens are allowed to access the green terraces that will be an integral part of the museum's cultural program of events. 

The terraces are planned to offer different places to host screenings, activities, shows and performances - as well as offering citizens a new public outdoor space, with unprecedented views of the park and the city. 

The roof garden, described as Greenery Project, will include six plant essences chosen as the main varieties for the tree species: Ginko Biloba, Acer Pictum and Pinus Bungeana - twelve types of shrubs and twelve perennial herbaceous species, selected from the typical local essences of the Chinese natural landscape.

The internal layout includes four main exhibition spaces, a temporary exhibition space and commercial areas. 

A double-height central atrium will connect the different areas and guarantee complete accessibility and usability, shaped around the principles of "Design for All".

The specific shade of blue, highly saturated and bright, already widespread in the fields of digital art and design, was chosen as the representative chromatic element of the project and characterizes the public areas and exhibition spaces, as well as the signage elements and the works of land art in the park, as the firm stressed.

“In addition to involvement and interaction with the public, the project paid particular attention to the use of multimedia and digital contents and their dissemination," Yibo Xu, Partner of Stefano Boeri Architetti China.

"The museum will play an important role in shaping future exhibition scenarios and imagining new ways of producing and exhibiting art," Xu added.

An immersive experience will be provided with a navigation inside the museum. 

Virtual signages and apps will guide the user through AI platforms, augmented reality experiences and experiential exhibitions, which will guarantee a highly personalized use of the space.

Stefano Boeri Architetti is working on a masterplan for prayer, meditation and peace in one of the most sacred sites of Buddhism at the Ramagrama Stupa in Nepal. 

Stefano Boeri Architetti and SON Architects were announced as the winners of the tender organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF) to develop a vision for an archaeological site in Durrës, Albania.

Project facts

Stefano Boeri Architetti China

Founding Partner: Stefano Boeri

Partner: Yibo Xu

Design Team: Pietro Chiodi (Director), Yifan Liu, Yinxin Bao, Xinyue Liu, Taimuzi Fu, Yifan Fei, Zhifei Yao, Changjiang Zhang, Qingxuan Yu, Yitao Huang, Mohamed Hassan Ali Elgendy.

All images courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti.

> via Stefano Boeri Architetti 

concept museum public building Stefano Boeri Architetti