Located on a site that until recently was nothing but Gobi Desert, the Municipality of Erdos was determined to create a new city, kilometers away from the current city. The urban masterplan drew a symbolic but empty image of “the Ever Rising Sun on the Grassland”; A rigid and precise series of urban landscapes radiating from a central plaza. This ordered plan fulfilled the wishes of the government, but showed no real consideration for the city’s residents.


As a reaction to this city plan, the new Erdos museum takes the form of a natural, irregular nucleus in contrast with the strict geometry of the masterplan. Wrapped in polished metal louvers to reflect and dissolve the planned surroundings, the shell hides the interior, creating a tranquil and fluid environment totally separated from the urban reality outside.

Defined by continuous curvilinear walls, all functions come together at the atrium, a shared public space that runs through the museum. From there, daylight is filtered through the building by luminescent walls, while louvers allow natural ventilation.

Divided into four exhibition halls, the main exhibition hall is connected to the smaller exhibition spaces for the … collection by bridges over the main atrium and are stacked on three floors, …

this new space will provide visitors with a completely different atmosphere to that which they experience in the city outside.