New video tracks Fumihiko Maki's Shenzhen design and arts complex take shape
New video footage has been released showing construction underway on the Sea World Culture and Arts Centre in Shenzhen, China, which has been designed by Pritzker-winning architect Fumihiko Maki.
An official opening date of October 2017 has also been set for the project, which will house the Design Society – a design museum created in collaboration with the UK’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).
The video footage shows that the structure of the complex – which will be formed of three cantilevered volumes atop a deconstructed plinth – is taking shape. When completed, the building will feature a green public roof from which visitors can look towards the mountains, the sea and the city; described by Maki as “an interconnected space that will enable cultural conversation and dialogue.”
While several tenants will occupy the complex, it is the Design Society that has drawn the most eye-catching component of the scheme.
The museum is the first of its kind between a UK museum and a Chinese partner, and has been initiated as “an open and collaborative platform that will connect China to the world, and empower the inter-connectivity between design and society, design and everyday life, and design and industry.”
The V&A has led the development of a dedicated V&A Gallery devoted to 20th and 21st century international design, and has provided professional advice and training to help main developer China Merchants Shekou Holdings (CMSK) establish “a world class” design institution. Two major V&A touring exhibitions will also come to Design Society in 2018 and 2019 and community design and innovation workshops will be organised.
“Shenzhen has been widely recognised as a hotbed of Chinese creativity and in the last 36 years [since being named a Special Economic Zone] has allowed countless newcomers to apply their ingenuity to build a future and literally design their life,” said Ole Bouman, founding director of Design Society. “By way of our pioneering collaboration with the V&A, this culture of aspiration now meets the richness of international design heritage and the curatorial intelligence of its current leadership.
“The forthcoming opening of Design Society in October 2017 will mean a fantastic showcase of the power of design today.”
The Sea World Culture and Arts Centre will also feature restaurants and retail spaces, a theatre, a multi-purpose hall, a branch of art institution the Guanfu Museum, and learning facilities. The building is the first architectural project in China for Maki’s studio Maki & Associates.
Fumihiko Maki V&A Museum Design Society Shenzhen China architecture designMVRDV win competition for 'fun and human-centric' Shenzhen sports and culture complex
Shenzhen welcomes Coop Himmelb(l)au-designed mega-museum
Architecture competitions launched to design new cultural landmarks for Shenzhen, China
V&A reveals ambitious plans for Chinese museum designed by Fumihiko Maki
Jürgen Engel wins competition for jutting, glass-clad Shenzhen Art Museum and Library
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
BrunelloCucinelli has madehisfortune from cashmere and has used hiswealthto restoreandrevive theItalian hamlet he callshome. Wefindout more