shenzhen’s tech growth translates to design innovation
The Róng Museum of Art, designed by Büro Ole Scheeren, is taking shape in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District as a cultural institution embedded within a larger urban campus. With its organic surfaces and glimmering facade, the project signals a shift across the Chinese city where growth in technology is translating into the creation of landmark cultural spaces. Inside, the museum focuses on visual culture across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with works on view bridging art, architecture, design, and film.
visualizations courtesy Büro Ole Scheeren
büro ole scheeren clusters five organic buildings
The architects at Büro Ole Scheeren define Róng Museum of Art in Shenzhen by five sculptural volumes that rise from slender bases and expand as they ascend. These elevated pavilions hold the primary exhibition spaces, while their separation from the ground creates a shaded public plaza beneath. The effect is immediate on approach, with the building hovering above a continuous surface that remains open to the city.
This ground level operates as a naturally ventilated forum, protected from sun and rain yet fully accessible. A large skylight draws daylight down into the space, where people can pass through, gather, or pause without needing to enter the galleries above. The museum extends outward here, functioning as part of the public realm rather than a contained object.
five elevated volumes lift the galleries above a shaded public plaza
the facade of suspended glass tubes
The exterior is formed through horizontal layers that step back as Shenzhen’s Róng museum of Art rises, shaping each volume into a tapered form. Around this, a second skin of suspended glass tubes creates a textured envelope. These elements are parametrically designed to generate a surface that shifts in density and depth across the facade.
Light enters the building through this layered system as a filtered condition. The glass diffuses sunlight during the day, reducing heat gain while maintaining a soft interior brightness. At night, the facade emits a steady glow as individual tubes can be illuminated in sequence which gives the building a visible presence across the skyline.
The glass tubes serve multiple roles beyond enclosure. Their spacing allows for airflow, while their density provides shading, contributing to the building’s overall energy performance. The structure also collects rainwater across its upper surfaces and directs it toward retention areas at ground level for reuse.
the open ground level functions as a continuous civic space throughout the day
inside the upcoming róng museum of art
Movement through the Róng Museum of Art follows a gradual upward path. A stair traces the outer edge of the structure, leading visitors from the plaza to the galleries and eventually to a rooftop garden. The route stays close to the facade, offering shifting views of the surrounding district and the waterfront beyond.
Volumes combine into a flexible exhibition sequence. A double height space accommodates larger installations, while adjacent areas allow for varied scales of display. The organization supports different modes of viewing, from focused encounters to more open circulation.
a central skylight brings daylight into the covered plaza below
a parametric skin of suspended glass tubes creates a textured envelope
circulation moves upward along the exterior toward a rooftop garden
organic surfaces shape cavernous interiors illuminated by filtered light
connections to bridges and transit integrate the museum into the city network
project info:
name: Róng Museum of Art
architect: Büro Ole Scheeren | @buroolescheeren
location: Shenzhen, China
client: Tenova
completion: expected 2027
visualizations: © Büro Ole Scheeren, TMRW, Atchain, Frontop, Bezier
design principal: Ole Scheeren
partner: Dan Cheong
project leaders: Connie Wan, Henry Chan, Chris Chan, Hao Wang
SD-DD team: Vincent Ku, Daniel Guan, Wei Chao, Xindi Ai, Qiuyun Chen, Tung Chui, Yufei Ding, Tsz Wai Goh, Shuhong Hao, Yannie Ho, Irene Hsu, Jinkun Huang, Jonathan Kan, Stephen Kwok, Anda Lam, Diana Lam, Mingyuan Li, Jialin Liang, I-Chun Lin, Michael Lui, Haoran Ma, Marcus Ma, Rebecca Pan, Subin Park, Dylan Peng, Jake Qin, Yanling Shi, Gloria Tam, Issac Tam, Stefanie Tan, Jack Tsai, Yuchen Tsai, Katrina Wang, Peng Wang, Xingnan Wang, Zhuofan Wu, Yiwen Xing, Hualin Yang, Jesse Yang, Maggie Yang, Circle Yuen, Freddie Zhang, Michael Zhang, Qiwei Zhang, Yiqu Zhang, Bella Zhong, Mary Zoller, Danfeng Zou, with Yifei Cai, Pinelopi Kourti, Jayden Lau, Huihao Ma, Nicolas Madariaga Frez, Jiayi Mao, Harry Musson, Yuchen Qiu, Denizhan Peker, Shanil Riyaz, Justin Tan, Jianfeng Yin, Bruno Zhao, Shengxiao Zhao, Jing Zhang
concept team: Robyn Houghton, Irene Hsu, Jacob Hu, Pinelopi Kourti, Yingzhou Li, Can Liu, Nicolas Madariaga Frez, Ibrahim Rajah, Marijana Simic, Justin Tan, Hao Wang, Edward Wu, Xingnan Wang, Jianfeng Yin, with Yingqi Li, Shanil Riyaz, Zijie Tang, Peng Zhang, Bruno Zhao, Shengxiao Zhao
consultants:
local design institute: ECADI, Shenzhen and LWK
structural engineer: ECADI
facade consultant (T4): RFR
BMU: Inhabit
interior design (T4 Museum): Gluckman Tang Architects
lighting consultant: ULDA Unolai Lighting Design Associates
sustainability consultants: Arup, MMoser
landscape consultant: PLA
traffic consultant: MVA, Movveo
MEP consultant: ECADI
vertical transportation Consultant: Arup
AV/acoustics/ELV/information service/security system consultant: Arup
cost consultants: Arcadis
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