Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta has been selected as the winner of an international competition to design the Qiantang Bay Art Museum in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan District, China. The cultural institution will serve as the centerpiece of the city's ambitious Future Headquarters development project. Located at the strategic intersection where the Qiantang River meets the Central Water Axis, the museum will occupy a pivotal position where Hangzhou's expanding downtown area begins to open toward the waterfront.
The 18,000-square-meter museum has been conceived to function as both a civic anchor and a threshold between the urban landscape and the river. Snøhetta's design philosophy treats the museum's unique setting as an exploration of time and natural flow patterns. The architectural team drew inspiration from the rhythmic movement of tides and the layered historical narratives of the Qiantang River, transforming these natural phenomena into spatial design elements that define the building's character.
The museum's distinctive form consists of two wave-like volumes that rise and dip across the site, creating a continuous landscape that connects all public pathways into a central gateway. These fluid architectural forms are designed to appear embedded in the earth while simultaneously conveying a sense of motion. The building features open rooftop terraces and a sequence of flowing volumes that blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing natural light, sound, and air to filter through the visitor experience.
Snøhetta has designed an intricate network of pathways that meander upward from the ground level, effectively drawing the surrounding landscape into the building's architecture. Visitors can choose to walk along shaded promenades or follow gentle ramps that gradually ascend toward the rooftop terrace. From this elevated vantage point, sweeping panoramic views extend from the cultural corridor to the expansive waters of the Qiantang River, creating a visual connection between the museum and its natural setting.
At the heart of the museum, Snøhetta has created a central gateway that frames a direct view to the Qiantang River, serving as more than just an entrance point. This gateway functions as a crucial spatial link between the urban edge and the waterfront, providing visitors with a place to pause and observe the surrounding landscape. The gateway features subtly curved ceilings and walls that modulate acoustics and light as visitors transition from the open air into the enclosed museum spaces.
The interior layout places the main galleries at the building's core, while social and educational spaces are positioned along the periphery. Spacious circulation areas throughout the museum are designed to encourage informal gatherings and provide natural pauses in the visitor journey. The architectural design ensures that movement throughout the building remains intuitive and logical, echoing the natural flow patterns of the waterways that inspired the museum's overall form.
The material palette reinforces the sense of continuity between the building and its riverfront environment. Snøhetta has selected smooth concrete, locally sourced stone, and glass, composing these materials in carefully considered layers that capture and diffuse natural light throughout the day. The building's surfaces are designed to shift in appearance with changing weather conditions, sometimes appearing reflective and other times opaque, directly echoing the tidal variations that characterize the nearby Qiantang River.
The museum's design represents Snøhetta's commitment to creating architecture that responds sensitively to its environmental context while serving as a dynamic cultural destination. The flowing volumes and terraced pathways create multiple opportunities for movement between the river and the city, establishing the Qiantang Bay Art Museum as a vital connector in Hangzhou's evolving urban landscape.
