The Datong Art Museum has opened to the public in northern China, having recently been completed by Foster + Partners. The firm describes the new museum as a “landscaped terrain with a series of interconnected pyramids emerging from below the earth.”

The scheme’s four interconnected roof pyramids increase in height and fan outwards towards the four corners of the surrounding plaza. A clerestory between each volume combines with roof lights at the apex of each pyramid to allow natural light to flood the interior during the day, while creating a “unique beacon for the new cultural quarter” at night.

The roof’s design has been informed by the need for large structural spans, allowing a flexible column-free volume for the galleries. The roof is clad in naturally oxidized curved steel plates, with panel sizes proportioned to suit the large scale of the museum, and a linear arrangement to accentuate the pyramid form.

Visitors are guided towards the museum through a landscape of diagonal paths. Descending a winding sequence of ramps, visitors are led to an open sunken plaza which doubles as an amphitheater. By sinking the building into the plaza, the design team sought to respect the scale of surrounding cultural buildings while maximizing internal volume.

Entering the building from the sunken plaza, visitors are greeted by a Grand Gallery measuring 37 meters (120 feet) in height and 80 meters (260 feet) in length. Inside, the museum contains gallery spaces sunken below ground and surrounded by landscaped plazas, as well as a series of spaces dedicated to education and learning, including a children’s gallery, media library, archive, and storage facilities. 

While the galleries are placed at a single level around the perimeter of the museum for ease of access, the children’s gallery sees tall south-facing windows to maximize daylight.

The museum is one of a number of notable completions for Foster + Partners in recent months. In November of last year, the firm’s new medical school building at UPenn opened, dubbed a “hospital of the future.” 

In June, the Foster + Partners-designed restoration of LA’s Tower Theatre was reopened as an Apple Store, in the same month that the firm unveiled their completed PGA Tour global headquarters in Verda Beach, Florida.