Tadao Ando-designed HE Art Museum delays opening due to coronavirus
China's HE Art Museum has postponed its planned opening in March due to ongoing concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The museum, in Shunde, Guangdong Province, is a private, non-profit art institution, devoted to collecting and exhibiting Chinese and global contemporary art.
The 16,000sq m (52,500sq ft) facility was designed by Tadao Ando, and was due to hold a ceremony to mark its opening on 21 March 2020.
However, with the virus outbreak having been declared a "public health emergency of international concern", and with major gatherings seen as imposing significant risk of further transmission of the virus, the museum has postponed its opening until further notice.
The design of the building is based on the concept of ‘harmony’ and it takes the form of four stacked, offset circular volumes, referencing the significance of the geometric shape in Cantonese culture, as well as a more conventional cube volume.
Inside, there are spaces for exhibitions, education, refreshments and restaurants, while a dual-spiral staircase and courtyard correspond to the overlapping circles.
HE Art Museum TAdao Ando coronavirus