Preston Scott Cohen: Taiyuan Museum

Currently under construction, the Taiyuan Museum of Art was selected as the winning proposal in an international design competition. Designed by Preston Scott Cohen(currently a professor at the GSD), the building’s dynamic bending/twisting/folding form – and its creation of a number outdoor spaces – is said to be based on the local agricultural landscapes of Shanxi Province.



“Just as the landscapes of curved terraces in Shanxi respond to the laws of irrigation and topography, the curved and tessellated surfaces of the Taiyuan Museum of Art respond to contemporary technologies for controlling natural and artificial light.
The spatial effect recalls the multiple perspectives of traditional Chinese landscape painting.”



In particular I really enjoy the “bow tie” effect here – with the building tying itself around the central entry volume. These angular volumes, as mentioned above, also enclose a number of courtyards + terraces (I’m not sure how many) in what looks to be a successful way. While wrapping a building partially around an outdoor space to claim it as part of the program is nothing new, the Taiyuan Museum of Art is achieving this effect in a particularly dynamic way.

I also appreciate the fact that the rendering of the interior (the only interior shot I’ve seen) shows a space that is understandable (based on one image, at least). I feel as if oftentimes complicated forms seen from the exterior then seem to lead to complicated/jumbled forms on the interior. Here the museum looks engaging and energetic within, without losing a sense of direction. This coud, however, be a bunch of BS, as I’ve obviously never been insude the building… we’ll see.



Lastly – sorry for the single plan. I couldn’t get them to a size that was particularly legible in AMNP’s layout, so I figured I’d toss one in just to give you a sense of how complicated the interior spaces are. For the rest of the plans, which you definitely need to check out, head over to Preston Scott Cohen’s site and go through the museums slideshow.





The project also received a P/A award.

.:images+info via->Preston Scott Cohen Inc