UCCA Dune Art Museum in Qinhuagdao
Open Architecture- Typologies Culture / Leisure
- Material Concrete
- Date 2018
- City Qinhuangdao
- Country China
- Photographer WU Qingshan
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.