Zaha Hadid Architects has unveiled a design for the Chengdu Science Fiction Museum with a fluid and radiant roof in Chengdu, China.
ZHA’s Chengdu Science Fiction Museum, which is currently under construction,
will be home to the 81st Annual World Science Fiction Convention.
It’s called Worldcon, and the Hugo Awards later this year.
Founded in 1939, Worldcon is the largest sci-fi event in the world and will be held under a star-shaped building.
The new Chengdu Science Fiction Museum, which covers a total area of 59,000 square meters, is scheduled to be built.
With maximum flexibility to host the widest variety of exhibitions, conferences and events.
Project features
The museum will include galleries, a theatre, a conference room, and additional supporting spaces.
Chengdu is known as “a leading incubator for science fiction writing in China”.
Referring to the past, present and future,
the new museum is set to become a vibrant center of innovation and a gathering place for the city.
Surrounded by mountain ranges and forests, Chengdu has cultivated a unique local culture rooted in its rich history.
This includes mysterious visions and extraterrestrial figures within the sculptures and masks of the Sanxingdui Civilization in the Bronze Age.
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in southwest China,
has grown into a city of more than 20 million people and an important global center for innovation and scientific research.
ZHA’s Chengdu Science Fiction Museum is located on Jingrong Lake,
within the New Science and Innovation City in Chengdu’s Beidou District.
The design takes cues from the landscape along the lake shore,
and is informed by activity nodes connected by pedestrian routes,
This stretches from the city and the adjacent metro station through the surrounding gardens to the heart of the building.
Through its multiple levels, the museum creates an exploratory journey that weaves between the internal and external arenas,
to connect the museum’s galleries, educational facilities, cafes and other facilities.
An exploration journey through the star cloud
The museum integrates all program elements with functional clarity while responding to unique site conditions.
With its dynamic surfaces and striking facades, the museum appears to float above the surface of a lake.
The fluid shapes of its ceiling radiate from a central point within,
simulating an expanding nebula cloud with a star at its center – transforming the museum into a ‘star cloud’ distributing energy fields to its many different regions;
And guide visitors through a portal.
In the center, a sky-lit central atrium and a large window facing the stunning Xiling Mountain connect the museum’s interiors with its surroundings.
Combining fluidity with eco-friendly design
In order to meet the highest 3-star standards for China’s green building program,
the studio developed the blueprint using detailed digital modeling analysis to increase efficiency in installation,
site conditions, solar radiation, and structure.
The studio has used hybrid natural ventilation that improves the temperate subtropical climate in Chengdu to provide comfort for visitors and staff all year round.
Photovoltaic panels will be integrated within the museum’s large roof canopy,
to meet the building’s energy requirements.
In addition, ZHA calculated the dimensions of this roof to shade the glass facades in the summer.
The landscape design combines with plants native to the area,
and stores rainwater for natural filtration and reuse.
This enables Jingrong Lake to become an integral part of Chengdu’s sustainable drainage system,
which will mitigate flooding and increase biodiversity across the city.
Founded in 1939, the annual convention is the largest science fiction event in the world.
The Hugo Awards are also named after Hugo Gernsback,
founder of the leading science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories,
It has been presented at Worldcon by the World Science Fiction Association since 1955,
and is the highest accolades for science fiction and fantasy literature, as well as works in other media.
For more architectural news
Since Science Fiction Fans from all over the World hope to attend the World Science Fiction Convention, and at present Google Maps does not show the location of the Chengdu Museum of Science Fiction, it would be very helpful if the exact location (LAT/LONG) and perhaps a map were included in this article so that we could plan our stay in Chengdu.