The full-process design competition for the new Shenzhen Cultural Center (formerly known as the Shenzhen Mass Art Museum), organized by the Shenzhen Municipal Construction and Engineering Bureau, attracted 47 design teams from 13 countries and regions. After a rigorous pre-qualification and scheme evaluation, the consortium of China Construction Technology Group Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen Municipal Bureau Design Consulting Co., Ltd. won the bid.
Positioned as the “Center of the Bay Area and a Benchmark in China,” the new cultural center integrates education, exchange, training, performances, exhibitions, and cultural and creative industries. It will serve as a comprehensive cultural landmark, offering public welfare and cultural services for diverse communities and art forms.
△ Project Exterior View
Since the reform and opening up, Shenzhen has rapidly developed as a modern city, prompting extensive reflection on the relationship between humanities and urban growth. Questions arise: Should humanities be absorbed or merged into the urban fabric? Is it necessary to forcefully transform ordinary but deeply rooted urban cultural elements into “high art,” potentially deviating from their original purpose?
Respect and care for human nature have always been central to urban development. The new cultural center seeks to establish and maintain harmony between culture and architecture. Shenzhen, a young modern city, has been built by countless citizens from all over the world who have contributed tirelessly during its 40 years of reform and development. The users of the new cultural center are not elite artists but everyday citizens with artistic aspirations. This project does not aim to create a grand, distant art temple; instead, it aspires to be a relaxed, welcoming, open, and inclusive spiritual home — akin to a “clan ancestral hall” in an old Hakka village, where daily life holds meaningful ceremonies. Here, grand narratives are broken down into everyday family-scale scenes, providing a gathering place for all citizens to find spiritual nourishment and a fusion of urban memory with the future.
△ Night View of the Cultural Center
Looking ahead, the new Shenzhen Cultural Center will evolve into an innovative hub for citizen cultural and artistic training, a center for public participation, leisure, and exhibitions, a multi-layered cultural and artistic sharing platform, a gathering place for intercity cultural exchange within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a digital network platform connecting city cultural centers, and a creative park supporting grassroots cultural and artistic activities.
Located in the Minzhi area of Longhua District, Shenzhen, the center sits on approximately 31,400 square meters of land. It enjoys a strategic location at the eastern end of the “Jiaohui Gateway, Hub Dual Core” urban design scheme, linking to the North Station and the future hub core CBD central oasis.
Designed as a cultural landmark, the center emphasizes openness and immersive experiences. To enhance user engagement and accommodate diverse needs, the building and site are sunken to create a three-level terraced platform, forming three sequential mass art squares.
△ Mass Art Square
Visitors can access the oval-shaped “Qunyi Square” on the north side by passing through the sunken square near the city road and pedestrian area. This open, waterfront space is ideal for large cultural gatherings.
△ Youth Vitality Square
Ascending the stairs, visitors enter a relaxed and vibrant area combining art, commerce, and leisure, leading to the expansive “Youth Vitality Square” on the third floor. This is an ideal spot for young people to engage in street dance and social events. Continuing via escalator brings visitors to the uppermost “Quyi Square,” the perfect stage for citizens to showcase their Quyi talents spontaneously.
△ Quyi Square
The “Cloud Art Village” crowns the cultural ark, where tree shadows dance and winding paths create secluded spots. It offers an artistic sanctuary for visitors to freely wander and find solace amid the city’s hustle and bustle.
△ Yunshang Art Village
The three-dimensional artistic spatial layout, described as “Five Hearts – Two Axes,” will craft an ark of artistic life for Shenzhen citizens, bridging indoor and outdoor, ground and sky, waterfront and park, as well as daily life and art. This will guide all citizens to find their spiritual haven and cultural oasis.
△ General Layout Plan
Currently in the detailed design phase, the images shown represent only the conceptual design.
Project Information
Project Name: Shenzhen Cultural Center New Building
Design Company: Shenzhen Bureau Internal Design Consulting Co., Ltd.
Design Company Websites: http://www.ingameoffice.com/；http://ccstc.cscec.com/
Contact Email: [email protected]
Expected Completion Year: 2025
Building Area: 83,290 square meters
Project Address: Minzhi Street, Longhua District, Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province
Project Category: Cultural Center, Cultural Building, Public Space
Principal Architect: Zhang Zhiyang
Design Team from Shenzhen Bureau Design Consulting Co., Ltd.: Zhang Zhiyang, Chen Hao, Yang Yuhuan, Mo Mingliang, Kuang Yuhao, Lu Dongdong, Zhuang Tingting, Ma Liwei, Zhang Yibo
Design Team from China Construction Technology Group Co., Ltd.: Fan Zesen, Sun Zhanqi, Li Wen, Zhang Yue, Liao Minqing, Zhang Weifangyuan, Liu Wenlai, Yang Wu, Zhao Qing, Li Dan, Zhao Wenbin, Zhao Xiufeng, Zhang Hengbo, Liu Enyu, Lu Xialan, Wang Xichun, Zhang Yusi
Operator: Shenzhen Cultural Center
Client: Engineering Design Management Center of Shenzhen Construction and Engineering Bureau
Structural Design: China Construction Technology Group Co., Ltd.
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