When Beijing based MAD Architects were commissioned by the Municipal Government of Ordos in Inner Mongolia to design the planned Art + City Museum, they were given free rein to create a structure which would protect the cultural heritage of the area and connect it to the future of this wealthy region.
Six years later, the imposing structure stands 40 metres high on the outskirts of the city, the facade of bronze aluminium plates reflecting its desert site. The contemporary irregular organic shape of the museum has already become a popular landmark in this fast growing urban community.
The cavernous white walled interior contains multiple levels and several flexible exhibition spaces, these are connected by holes in the walls through which walkway bridges extend from one to the other, suggesting a similarity between the structure and the site’s desert history. A labyrinth of passages facilitate natural ventilation and skylights permit natural daylight to flood the spaces. The entire project reflects creativity and respect for the past, present and future of the recently urbanised city of Ordos.
