Pelli Clarke Pelli win Chengdu Natural History Museum project with design inspired by tectonic movement

– Kristin Hawkins, Pelli Clarke Pelli associate principal
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects have won the international design competition for the Chengdu Natural History Museum in Chengdu, China.
The studio’s design, created in collaboration with the China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute (CSWADI), swayed the jury panel. It was selected ahead of submissions from Zaha Hadid Architects, Sutherland Hussey Harris, Nihon Sekkei, Valode & Pistre and FUKSAS.
Located in the eastern part of the city, the 62,700sq m (675,000sq ft) project will include spaces for permanent, temporary and interactive exhibitions, educational facilities, shops, a café, a cinema and outdoor social areas.
The building has been conceived as a cultural landmark for Chengdu, which is in the midst of an economic boom as a new high-tech and entrepreneurial hub. Pelli Clarke Pelli’s design is inspired by the natural geological forms found in the nearby Sichuan Basin, created by volcanic activity and shifting tectonic plate movements.
The central atrium will be a tall space dividing the building into two separate volumes. It will be filled with natural light from above, while a large entrance will connect the museum with surrounding gardens. A series of sky bridges will cross the atrium, connecting the exhibits with the public amenities on either side.
Outside, reflecting pools and tributaries will frame the museum, evoking the region’s historic irrigation systems.
“We look forward to a strong partnership with our client and CSWADI toward creating a building that embodies the uniqueness of the city of Chengdu and the mission of this important cultural institution within the community,” said Pelli Clarke Pelli associate principal Kristin Hawkins.
In a statement, the jury panel said: “The greatest feature of this design is that it managed to maintain a vertical visual impression of the building while the human-scale experience of it is in a horizontal way. The scheme integrates architecture, landscape, and the surrounding environment well.”
The Chengdu Natural History Museum is currently scheduled for completion in 2021.
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects Chengdu Natural History Museum CSWADI Sichuan Basin Kristin Hawkins




GMP win architecture competition to design Chinese opera house and arts complex
Make Architects designs Chinese hotel complex in restored monastery
Letchworth Garden City inspires development of Chinese city of Chengdu


Swedish architects Wingårdhs create year-round resort with waterpark and hotel for Liseberg

Juneteenth Museum by Bjarke Ingels Group has been designed to inspire spiritual uplift

BIG and HOK's timber concept wins Zurich Airport competition

Christoph Ingenhoven reveals Lanserhof Sylt, featuring the largest thatched roof in Europe

BIG's designs Prague concert hall to be vibrant centre of life

Mather & Co-designed Gretna Green Experience opens to the public

Project to save last major bellfoundry which cast bells for St Paul's and Washington National Cathedral

Perkins & Will reveals designs for net-zero sports and cultural centre in Toronto

World’s first living waterslides announced for Therme Manchester

Heatherwick reveals Volcano-inspired opera house designs for Hainan

Natural history museum planned for Abu Dhabi

Controversial London music venue, MSG Sphere, gets full planning permission

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Glasgow's iconic Burrell Collection reopens after five-year, £68.5m revamp

SB Architects delivers Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Costa Rica with tree-house spa and private residences

Ole Scheeren designs vertical jungle resort complex in China

Designer Brian d’Souza launches Swell to create evocative soundscapes for physical environments

Basalt Architects create geothermal Forest Lagoon in the wilds of Iceland

Hot Pickle design £73m Guinness visitor attraction for Diageo in London

Amsterdam's new digital art centre Fabrique des Lumières will use tech to bring art alive

Pharrell Williams to launch tropical Bahamian beach resort

Banyan Tree curating solar-powered wellness retreat on private Mozambican island

Dubai Expo hits 10 million visits

Foster + Partners designs Dorchester Collection's first hotel in Middle East

Neil Jacobs reveals Six Senses Places concept for major cities

Orient Express returns to Italy after 46 years with six trains designed by Dimorestudio and new Rome hotel

400-year-old mineral spring will power Preidlhof’s €2m medicinal bath experience

Universal Beijing Resort reveals expansion plans for second phase
