Song Art Museum: A Harmonious Blend of East and West

Designed by Kuang Ming (Ray), Chou, the Museum is a Masterpiece of Modern Architecture

The Song Art Museum is a transformation of a Victorian-style architecture into a modern art space. The designer has stripped away the ornate elements of the original structure, leaving a pure, white edifice that serves as a canvas for the art it houses. The museum is connected by corridors in various geometric shapes, creating a dialogue between the old and the new, the Western and the Eastern, the contemporary and the traditional.

What sets the Song Art Museum apart is its emphasis on the connection between the subject and the object. Rather than creating a specific atmosphere for specific art pieces, the museum serves as an "Art Container," a platform for displaying art. The critical elements, such as pavilions and pine trees, are chosen based on the client's preference, and all unnecessary decorations are removed.

The museum is constructed using a variety of materials, including cobblestone, concrete, dressed stone, GRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete), LOW-E glass facade system, sealed insulating glass, and coating for the exterior. The interior features brass panels, PVDF coating stainless steel panels, recycled wooden flooring, laminate flooring, and full-body tiles.

The design process was not without its challenges. The original architecture was an imitation of a mighty culture without its core. The only thing it had was a symbol, which needed to be reconsidered and released. The goal was to simplify everything in a harmonious way, bringing the building back to its original context as a spatial container.

The Song Art Museum transforms everything into geometry and purity from the outside to the inside. It welcomes any kind of contemporary art with its pure existence. The courtyard, surrounded by pine trees, adds extra vitality to the museum. It holds various art crafts from inside but remains an art container at the same time. The oriental sense also becomes the natural rhythm of mutual attraction between traditional and modern architecture.

The Song Art Museum, located in Beijing, China, was completed in September 2017. It covers a total area of 22,000 m2, with an architectural interior of 2,200 m2. The museum has been recognized for its outstanding design, winning the Golden A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2018.