Architecture serves as a cultural reflection of a city, revealing what its residents value and pursue. As cultural landmarks, art museums amplify this spiritual essence. Our goal is to make the Hunan Art Museum a distinctive symbol of regional identity and Hunan’s unique character, while ensuring it harmonizes with the surrounding urban environment.
City and Space
Located on the west bank of the Xiang River in Changsha, Hunan, near Central South University, the project is part of a cluster of art-themed public buildings planned along the riverfront. This creates a vibrant cultural atmosphere and an essential element of the city’s public spaces. We have thoughtfully integrated the art museum within the urban fabric, making it a central focus of the design.
The architectural complex consists of two distinct functional areas: the Hunan Art Museum and the House of Literary and Artistic Masters. The museum provides exhibition spaces for artworks, while the House of Literary and Artistic Masters serves mainly as a theater to promote artistic dissemination.
▲ General layout plan
In the architectural interface design, a subtle dialogue with the city is achieved through continuous horizontal lines that enclose a multi-directional, three-dimensional space. This approach gradually unifies the building into a cohesive whole, while maintaining an openness that allows the urban public space to flow seamlessly into the gaps between blocks and interior spaces.
The Relationship Between Architecture and the City
The dynamic arrangement of the building blocks naturally creates several semi-enclosed courtyards, perfectly balancing outdoor exhibitions with leisure activities. On the east side, a multi-level rooftop garden offers an ideal space for rest and reflection, with beautiful views of the Xiang River. These open areas foster interaction with the surrounding environment, providing visitors with a rich and engaging sense of place.
Color, Light, and Shadow
Hunan is famously associated with the color red, symbolizing the passion, energy, and vitality deeply rooted in its people. We aimed to embody this vibrant spirit in the building’s façade, which stands like a vivid vermilion sandbank along the river.
The design emphasizes the visual interplay of shadows cast by the scattered building blocks, using shifting sunlight to create fluid and powerful relationships between architectural elements.
The extensive use of red glazed ceramic panels creates a captivating interplay of color and shadow through the contrast of depth and surface. The glazed surfaces shift under sunlight, displaying a rich gradient of warm tones. Even the façade’s texture changes with the light, offering visitors an engaging, dynamic experience as they move around the building.
At higher levels, white blocks resemble vertically folded sheets of calligraphy or painting paper. Up close, their glazed surfaces reveal delicate ice-crack textures that reflect the surrounding vibrant colors. This blend of red and white elements weaves together themes of reality and illusion, rigidity and flexibility, yin and yang—forming a harmonious architectural expression.
Project Drawings
▲ First floor plan
▲ Elevation view
▲ Elevation view
▲ Sectional view
▲ Sectional view
▲ Sectional view
▲ Construction Node 1
▲ Construction Node 2
▲ Irregular patterned white clay panels
▲ Irregular patterned white clay panels
Project Information
Project Type: Art Museum
Location: Changsha, China
Architectural Design: Huajian Group Shanghai Architectural Design and Research Institute
Area: 30,000 square meters
Year: 2019
Photographer: ACF Domain Image Visual
Lead Architects: Su Chang, Gong Ya
Project Manager: Yuan Jianping
Architectural Team: Su Chang, Gong Ya, Yang Shaohui, Li Mingliang, Hu Shiyong, Wang Fan, Liu Baitong, Yue Wenkun
Structural Engineers: Jia Shuizhong, Li Wei, Zhang Yun, Tang Tiantian
Electromechanical Team: Chen Xiaoling, Xu Cui, Yang Ming, Xu Zhetian, Bao Hong, Wu Minyi, Zhang Weiyan, Shi Lei, Zhang Jun, Qi Hanyi
Landscape Designers: Zhang Xiaohui, Shen Lei, Zhou Yu
Curtain Wall and Lighting: Li Haiming, Ma Ruifeng, Shen Chuan
BIM Team: Liu Wen, Wu Fanqian
Owner: Hunan Federation of Literary and Art Circles
Exhibition Consultant: Hu Fu
Exhibition Design: Hunan Construction Engineering Group Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd
Landscape Consultant: Hunan Provincial Architectural Design Institute Landscape Design Research Institute
Construction Contractor: Hunan Sixth Engineering Co., Ltd
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