Nanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten

Nanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - CityscapeNanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - BeamNanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - Windows, ColumnNanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - FacadeNanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - More Images+ 6

Nanjing, China

Text description provided by the architects. Located in the cultural center of Nanjing and in the immediate proximity of the historical Presidential Palace of today’s provincial capital, the new Jiangsu Provincial Art Museum is one of the most important museums in south-east China. It has space for temporary exhibitions and houses a permanent collection featuring traditional Chinese art, which illustrates the cultural wealth of Nanjing – one of the oldest cities in southern China. The sizeable collection is kept in archive rooms in the Museum, which meet today’s techni- cal and strict conservation requirements. Having previously designed the National Li- brary of China in Beijing, the German company KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten has now completed its second significant cultural building in China.

Nanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - Cityscape
Courtesy of ksp jürgen engel architekten

The eye-catching new museum, which won first prize in a competition in 2006, takes up a several urban references from its deeply historical location. The main entrance faces the main city square, Daxing Gong Shi Min Square. In addition, the two structures of the Museum that stand at slight angles to one another follow the two flanking thor- oughfares: Zhongshan (or Revolution) Road, and Changjiang (or Culture) Road.

Nanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - Facade
Courtesy of ksp jürgen engel architekten

The two interlocking u-shaped buildings also create a space that is covered with a light glass roof. This 17-meter high access area, which narrows at its two main entrances, links the two stone halves of the building and guides visitors into the Museum.

Nanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - Facade
Courtesy of ksp jürgen engel architekten

In the northern building, clear exhibition rooms of varying sizes offer ideal conditions for presenting the works of art. Two bridges spanning the glass-covered intermediate space connect the exhibition area with the southern element.

Nanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - Windows, Column
Courtesy of ksp jürgen engel architekten

In addition to training, conference and office space, this building also contains the VIP area and the auditorium with seating for around 400 people.

Nanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - Windows
Courtesy of ksp jürgen engel architekten

The travertine natural stone facing with its narrow window indentations obscures the sheer number of storeys and as such reinforces the overall monolithic impression of the museum building. Simultaneously, the alternation between vertical stone panels and window slits with sheet metal jutting out at the sides creates rhythm in the façade. The structural frame and the delicate construction of the glass roof were developed in collaboration with Stuttgart-based German engineers Breuninger.

Nanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - Beam
Courtesy of ksp jürgen engel architekten

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Address:Nanjing, China

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Cite: "Nanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten" 10 Mar 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/52446/nanjing-art-museum-ksp-jurgen-engel-architekten> ISSN 0719-8884

Courtesy of  ksp jürgen engel architekten

南京艺术博物馆 / KSP Jürgen Engel 建筑事务所

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