Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects

Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Image 2 of 13Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Image 3 of 13Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - WindowsOrdos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Image 6 of 13Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - More Images+ 8

Ordos, China
  • Architects: MAD Architects
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  41
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2011
  • Photographs
    Photographs:ShuHe
  • Architect: MAD Architects
  • Directors: Ma Yansong, Yosuke Hayano, Dang Qun
  • Design Team: Shang Li, Andrew C. Bryant, Howard Jiho Kim, Matthias Helmreich, Linda Stannieder, Zheng Tao, Qin Lichao, , Sun Jieming, Yin Zhao, Du Zhijian, Yuan Zhongwei, Yuan Ta, Xie Xinyu, Liu Weiwei, Felipe Escudero, Sophia Tang, Diego Perez, Art Terry, Jtravis B Russett, Dustin Harris
  • Associate Engineers: China Institute of Building Standard Design & Research
  • Mechanical Engineer: The Institute of Shanxi Architectural Design and Research
  • Client: Municipality of Ordos
  • Building Height: 40 m
  • Construction Contractor: Huhehaote construction Co., Ltd
  • Site Area: 27,760 sqm
  • City: Ordos
  • Country: China
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Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Image 2 of 13
© ShuHe

Text description provided by the architects. Conceived as a reaction to the strict geometry of the master plan, the Art & City museum by MAD Architects is an amorphous building that seems like it has landed on the earth. Its surrounding dunes, monumental stairways and belvederes have been generated from the empty Gobi desert which was here just a few years ago.

Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Image 3 of 13
© ShuHe

Located in the new city center of Ordos, the space itself is deeply rooted into the local culture. Although it has contemporary presence, there is a chance to think over what the term “local culture” means, where it is rooted and what it can become in the future.

Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Brick, Facade, Arch
© ShuHe

The structure is wrapped in polished metal louvers to reflect and dissolve the planned surroundings. This results in a solid, windowless, building firmly anchored to the ground. This shell encloses a interior totally separate from the urban reality.

Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Image 5 of 13
© ShuHe
Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Image 9 of 13
© ShuHe

On entering, the logic changes and the spaces begin to buzz: heights are disproportionate, holes buckle upwards, surfaces creep sinuously around, creating openings and interstices which tone down the effect of the sheer quantity of light streaming down to the floor.

Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Image 8 of 13
© ShuHe
Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Stairs
© ShuHe

The central lobby welcomes and guides visitors into the canyon-like public corridor. People can come in to visit the exhibits, or walk through the canyon and out the other side. In this space, natural light comes in through skylights and highlights the bridges that connect the galleries.

Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Windows
© ShuHe

The light also blurs any internal boundaries; it creates an illusion that’s accentuated by the organic form of the bridges. As for the gallery spaces, we didn’t know what kind of exhibitions they would hold, so they are designed to be flexible.

Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects - Image 6 of 13
© ShuHe

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Project location

Address:Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Ordos Art & City Museum / MAD Architects" 27 Feb 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/211597/ordos-art-city-museum-mad-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

© ShuHe

鄂尔多斯博物馆 / MAD Architects

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