Landmark cultural institution breaks ground with anticipated 2029 opening date

Tenderstream member Snøhetta, in collaboration with Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, has won the competition to design the Beijing Art Museum in Tongzhou District. The 110,000 sq m museum broke ground in December last year, and is estimated to open in 2029. Beyond its role as a cultural hub, the institution will also serve as a civic gathering place for the local community and a catalyst for the new urban development in the area.

The design proposal adopts the concept of “vision,” manifesting the dual ambition of the museum, which has a mission to collect and gather, and to exhibit and reveal. The museum is intended to become a nexus where ideas intersect and perspectives converge, fostering a continuum of creativity and interpretation. 

Positioned above a metro line, the building will double as a transportation hub, linking visitors to the art world. Its sculptural massing radiates outwards from a central core, while lens-like, rippled facades dissolve boundaries between building and landscape, establishing a public realm that engages the local community. 

At the heart of the building lies a kaleidoscopic atrium that acts as a gravitational pull, drawing various programme elements inward. This circular space features semi-open pockets for exhibitions and social interaction across multiple levels, creating vertical connectivity and spatial continuity throughout the building. Galleries, storage, and support functions spiral around the atrium, extending into petal-like volumes that offer views of the surrounding context, juxtaposing the experience of looking out with a sense of being seen. Outside, the landscape design unfolds into civic realms that invite sculptures, dialogues and engagement. 

Lucy Nordberg

Tenderstream Head of Research

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