The new Shanghai Astronomy Museum is considered the largest astronomy museum in the world. The dynamic design of the museum building was inspired by celestial bodies in space.
The world’s largest astronomy museum opened in Shanghai, China. Designed by Ennead Architects, this contemporary cultural center serves as the new astronomy branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. The building won the design competition with its dynamic form representing the movement of celestial bodies, consisting of an inverted dome and a sphere.
“In making this building, we wanted to create a place where the corporate mission is completely intertwined with an architecture that it teaches, and where it finds form in some of the fundamental principles that shape our universe,” explains Ennead partner Thomas J. Wong. “The idea behind the Shanghai Astronomy Museum was to get people to experience space, to make them feel the atmosphere before they even enter the building.”
The museum includes 420,000 square feet of space, including a planetarium, general exhibition space and an impressive 23-metre-high solar telescope. Best of all, visitors experience the museum through a carefully considered progression that highlights each of the museum’s three forms.
First, visitors are greeted at the oculus suspended above the main entrance. Sunlight enters through the oculus and gradually moves through the entrance and reflection pool as the sun’s position in the sky is tracked throughout the day. From the planetarium theater, visitors can gaze at the futuristic sphere resembling a floating planet in space. The globe also acts as a remote dramatic symbol for the center. The sphere contrasts with the inverted dome, the final element that ends the visitor’s journey through the museum and offers them a beautiful view of the sky above.
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