The Economic Miracle Memorialised as Landscape

Like no other in China, the city of Shenzhen has come to be synonymous with the country’s economic miracle. One of the four first ‘special economic zones’ in the country was established here in 1980, and the Hong Kong based China Merchants’ Group played a leading role in the economic development of the Shekou Industrial Zone from the outset. They levelled a part of the hilly district, reclaimed the sea to build harbours, and prepared the logistics for foreign investment – an approach that came to be known the “Shekou Model”, which other cities imitated. 

The site of the museum is one of the few remaining hills in the otherwise levelled Shekou area. The hill was left untouched because the first Chinese terrestrial microwave relay station was built there. Following the motto “the hill as the exhibition venue, and the city as the exhibition”, the URBANUS architects designed the new museum as a scenario staged along a path and that integrates the surrounding landscape into the experiential narrative. At the end of the path the visitor reaches the museum space. Built directly over the restored former microwave relay station, the architectural design integrates this ready-made and important exhibition artefact as the centrepiece of the museum.

The hill, now forested, is surrounded by dense urban development. On the summit, the museum can be reached via several paths. The staged path with the inscribed narrative, a path through the forest, as well as an openair stairway that zigzags up the hill. These additional paths make the location an important recreational area for the wider neighbourhood, even when the museum is closed.

The building responds to the topography of its site. It is arranged over five levels and its spatial volumes similarly adapt to the sculptural profile of the hillside. The first and second levels house a permanent exhibition on the 150-year history of the China Merchants Group, that is spatially centred around the restored microwave relay station. The third floor is an outdoor viewing platform accessible from the public paths. From here, visitors have a view towards the Shekou district. The fourth floor houses an exhibition hall for contemporary art. 

A spacious exhibition platform is located on the roof level, which, as the highest point of the hill, offers excellent views and also allows outdoor activities to take place. The organically structured building volume is visually integrated into the landscape. Various openings deliberately frame views into the surrounding part-natural, part-urban landscape, thereby incorporating it into the exhibitions.

The façades are mainly clad in white travertine. The interior spaces are dominated by fine exposed concrete. The few additional materials, including aluminium, steel, and copper, reflect the industrial history of the China Merchants Group, as does their processing and surface treatments. This reduced material palette combined with a sophisticated lighting concept (more than) suffices to establish an architectural language for the museum interior.

With this museum, the architects at URBANUS have succeeded in achieving a symbiosis between landscape and architecture, a merging of the external context with the internal programme. Through its complex spatial assemblage, its fine materiality, the special location, and the incorporation of outstanding views over the sea, the urban landscape and the distant mountain ranges, the museum is without doubt an architectural highlight in this young city. As a Citadel of Culture with diverse linkages to its surroundings, it is a reminder of Shenzhen’s economic miracle and the protagonists who made it possible.