The newly opened Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, is located in the Greater Bay Area of the Guangming District of Shenzhen, the world’s largest metropolitan region with a population of 100 million. The museum will showcase scientific advancements, research and technologies across 35,000 sq m of exhibition halls and galleries, as well as theatres, cinemas, laboratories, educational facilities and an innovation centre.
An institution whose aim is to solidify Shenzhen's role as a leader in technological development should look the part: ZHA, the architecture firm behind some of the most futuristic-looking buildings in the world, has created a design that is both striking and advanced.
The 28,276 sq m museum looks like a spaceship, with a solid spherical volume which transitions into a series of outdoor terraces as it extends westward into the new Science Park. These serve as extensions of the interior galleries, which emerge from the floor and walls of a grand central atrium, while other spaces float above. The atrium serves as a focal point for the building, featuring a large glazed wall looking out to the park, which allows for natural light to pour in and views of the landscape.
The construction of the Shenzhen Science & Technology Museum pushed the boundaries of modern architecture. For example, the façade features dual-colour INCO technology, which creates the appearance of a celestial-feeling blue-to-grey gradient without paint.
The building is also sustainability-focused. ZHA used computer simulations to optimise the building's performance for Shenzhen's subtropical climate: the result is the use of passive environmental strategies such as orientating the building in a way that minimises solar heat gain in the atrium, or having terraces on each floor to shield the facade from direct sunlight.
Elsewhere, a system of stainless-steel panels creates a ventilated cavity between the facade and the external walls, which also incorporate photovoltaics to generate solar energy. The museum’s smart systems should reduce energy consumption significantly, and the building aims for the highest rating of China’s Green Building Evaluation Standard.
-
‘The work is an extension of myself’: Michaela Yearwood-Dan on her debut show at Hauser & WirthLondon-based artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan continues her rapid rise, unveiling monumental new paintings in ‘No Time for Despair’
-
Palace’s collaboration with Cutler and Gross will be this summer’s most sought-after sunglassesPalace and Cutler and Gross make an early play for the sunglasses of the summer with their new collaboration, which comprises three retro-inflected styles (and a touch of 18-carat gold)
-
Contemporary kitchen ideas open up at EbaPicking up where the 20th-century pioneers of open-plan living left off, Eba and its contemporary kitchen experts await you at their London showroom
-
A Xingfa cement factory’s reimagining breathes new life into an abandoned industrial siteWe tour the Xingfa cement factory in China, where a redesign by landscape architecture firm SWA completely transforms an old industrial site into a lush park
-
Bold, geometric minimalism rules at Toteme’s new store by Herzog & de Meuron in ChinaToteme launches a bold, monochromatic new store in Beijing – the brand’s first in China – created by Swiss architecture masters Herzog & de Meuron
-
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizonA peek at Zaha Hadid Architects’ future projects, which will comprise some of the most innovative and intriguing structures in the world
-
Liu Jiakun wins 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize: explore the Chinese architect's workLiu Jiakun, 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, is celebrated for his 'deep coherence', quality and transcendent architecture
-
Zaha Hadid Architects reveals plans for a futuristic project in Shaoxing, ChinaThe cultural and arts centre looks breathtakingly modern, but takes cues from the ancient history of Shaoxing
-
The Hengqin Culture and Art Complex is China’s newest cultural megastructureAtelier Apeiron’s Hengqin Culture and Art Complex strides across its waterside site on vast arches, bringing a host of facilities and public spaces to one of China’s most rapidly urbanising areas
-
Zaha Hadid Architects’ new project will be Miami’s priciest condoConstruction has commenced at The Delmore, an oceanfront condominium from the firm founded by the late Zaha Hadid, ZHA
-
The World Monuments Fund has announced its 2025 Watch – here are some of the endangered sites on the listEvery two years, the World Monuments Fund creates a list of 25 monuments of global significance deemed most in need of restoration. From a modernist icon in Angola to the cultural wreckage of Gaza, these are the heritage sites highlighted
