Ateliers Jean Nouvel . Photos: © Chen Hao
Museum of Art Pudong is a domain. The domain is Museum of Art Pudong.The domain is a medium consisting of four hectares of warm white granite stones assembled in a way that conjures up the irregular pattern of ‘crackled glass’. The domain is bordered in the west by water, the Huangpu River. The domain actually drops straight down to the water, with the stone becoming whiter there.
In its white sheerness, towering over the water, the domain creates a restaurant loggia as close as possible to the boats for people to be able to further admire the Bund. The domain is bordered, surrounded by tall trees that form an undulating landscape and a huge rim, a huge windbreak. The domain is separated from the neighbouring towers by this windbreak of trees. The windbreak of trees creates a thick dark frame that brings out the bright airiness of the museum domain.
The undulating landscape, with its large surrounding rim, is a vast V-shaped linear garden approximately 700m long showcasing trees (some of them removed from the clutches of the new museum) – tall trees of different species. In the landscape there will be statues and, at the back of the landscape, lights that change from day to night.
Because the domain is a museum, statues and contemporary artworks will be positioned in the wooded landscape. Because the domain is a museum, there will also be artworks on the stone (‘crackled glass’) field, on the forecourt, on the terrace and on the waterfront walkway. Because the domain is a museum, the forecourt and terraces will have plinths of the same texture as well as tree planters.
The domain’s medium will be flamed over the floor (slight non-slip relief) and mixed on the walls (smooth or flamed or very occasionally roughened). The stones are essentially large different-size panels with a raindrop pattern. The sharps points of the triangles will be lined with metal. The ‘crackled glass’ medium will stop at the museum doors.
The windows of the exhibition rooms will be able to be shuttered if necessary using standing panels. The open windows will be hung with a fine sail to filter the light and create fixed shade. The rooms on the top floor and the exhibition space in the atrium will be lit with natural overhead lighting provided by micro sheds.
The screens mark out the domain.The two vertical screen-signs, one above the museum and one on top of the ventilation tower, mark off the site and indicate and highlight a break.The two screens are linked at night by laser beams creating intersecting lines of light above the museum.
The western side screen on the Bund will be a major event.The western side screen on the Bund will be mutating.The western side screen on the Bund will be a twin façade of textured glass watermarked with the ‘crackled glass’ pattern.The western side screen on the Bund will be mirrors.The western side screen on the Bund will be unpredictable.The western side screen on the Bund will be images.The western side screen on the Bund will be reflections.The western side screen on the Bund will be a big long box.The western side screen on the Bund will be a gallery of large-scale mirrors over two superimposed floors.
The western side screen on the Bund will be programmed.The western side screen on the Bund will be installation spaces or performance spaces, during the day.The western side screen on the Bund will be programmed as a video space, during the evening and at night.The western side screen on the Bund will be a machine for surveying the Bund, a twin panorama.The western side screen on the Bund will be a reflection of this twin panorama, depending on the lighting used.The western side screen on the Bund will be a reflection of the artworks superimposed periodically over the view of the Bund, depending on the lighting used. The western side screen seen from the Bund will show the excitement and the museum’s visitors. The western side screen seen from the Bund will be an incredible tool for image artists and installation artists, especially for Chinese artists who like large dimensions.
The western side screen seen from the Bund will impose its presence through its various shades of white: The white of the sail between the two façades, a fine patterned sail that gently texturizes the landscape to make it easier for people to seize; A total or partial white that provides an unobstructed view over the first two or three metres; The white of the various lights, of the LEDs behind the mirrors; The white of the installations or artworks; The white of the background which is designed to show images and visitors most effectively.
The western side screen on the Bund side, starting at the walkway, is an actual vision of the “Grand Verre”. The western side screen on the Bund side, starting at the walkway, is a joker designed to fascinate the crowd through fresh new images that disrupt the view of Shanghai and the Bund. The western side screen on the Bund side is a testament to the art of the 21st century.
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Team：Jean NOUVEL – Ateliers Jean Nouvel
STUDIO MANAGER: Stefan ZOPP (Studies), Mathieu FOREST (Competition)
ASSISTING ARCHITECT TO JEAN NOUVEL: Aurélien COULANGES (Studies)
PROJECT MANAGER: Isabelle AGOSTINI (Competition phase 1), Chen CHEN (Competition phase 1, 2, 3, Schematic Design & Design development), Stacy EISENBERG (Competition phase 1, 2 & 3), Damien FARAUT (Design development & Construction), Florence RABIET (Competition phase 3, Schematic Design)
ARCHITECTS:
Competition phase 1 & 2: Philippe CHARPIOT, Seung PAIK, Florence RABIET, Chiara VIOLI
Competition phase 3: Alexander BUCKERIDGE, Tian LI, Seung PAIK, Anna PHILIPPOU, Maria VELAORA
Schematic Design / Design Development: Cécile ARMANDES, Giulia FELICI, Urszula MILLIEZ-TYSZKIEWICZ, Julie MOREAU, Miguel REYES, Seung PAIK, Yupeng WANG, Wu ZHENG, Yuanqing ZHOU
INTERIOR DESIGN: Sabrina LETOURNEUR, Tanguy NGUYEN
LANDSCAPE: Yinan DU, David EUVRARD, Isabelle GUILLAUIC
3D MODELING: Narjis LEMRINI, Jose MILAN, Toshihiro KUBOTA, JIGEN
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Marie MAILLARD, Eugénie ROBERT, Vatsana TAKHAM, Élise TAPONIER
MODEL: Romain CAILLON, Rui PEREIRA
ARCHITECTS OF RECORD: TJAD Shanghai – Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co., LTD
ENGINEERING: BIAD (Cost Consultant, competition), Thornton Tomasetti – TJAD (Structure), Dress and Sommer – TJAD (Building services, Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning, Sanitary facilities), RFR Facades Shanghai (Facades), Agence TER (City planning)
Consultants
L’Observatoire International – Hervé DESCOTTES (Lightning design), Hans-Ulrich OBRIST (Museography), dUCKS scéno (Scenography), Ingénieurs Et Paysages (Landscape), Federico CRUZ-BARNEY – Studio DAP – Federico CRUZ-BARNEY (Acoustics)
