UCCA Dune Art Museum in Qinhuagdao
Open Architecture 
UCCA Dune Art Museum in Qinhuagdao

UCCA Dune Art Museum in Qinhuagdao

Open Architecture 


In the coastal city of Qinhuangdao, between sea and sand, a series of underground concrete galleries gives form to a museum for the UCCA, a leading Chinese independent institution of contemporary art. Designed by Open Architecture, the Beijing firm founded by Li Hu and Huang Wenjing, the building is carved into a dune, thus diluting into the natural environment. Including a café, a reading room, seven interior galleries, and three exterior ones, the 930-square-meter construction presents interconnected, cave-like spaces that show the irregular texture of the formworks used. The visitor goes through a long tunnel and the vaulted reception area to get to the largest gallery, which is multifunctional and perforated by a large skylight. A spiral staircase leads to a lookout offering views of the Bohai Sea.