Pondering Beijing's Striking Capital Museum
By Dominique Wong
New guidelines on urban planning will forbid the construction of “bizarre” and “odd-shaped” buildings that are devoid of character or cultural heritage. On the Block is a monthy series where we gather opinions on some of the unusual architecture that remains, from both an architectural and civilian viewpoint.
Capital Museum, Muxidi
The Building
Capital Museum was established in 1981, though it only moved to its present site, west of Tiananmen Square, in 2006. Although lesser known than other art museums in the city, the building boasts architecture that is both striking and inimitable.
The building showcases classical and contemporary characteristics. The long stone curtain wall nods to the old city walls of ancient China, while the steel canopy roof and glass curtain wall offer modernity. Another distinctive feature is the oval-shaped Bronze Exhibition Hall which extends from the ground to the museum exterior and symbolizes the unearthing of relics.
The Residents’ View
Regular visitors Zhang and Fan tell us: “The exterior is very beautiful.” Meanwhile, a museum employee shares: “The environment is really great.”
The Architect’s View
Project manager of OBRA Architects, Sen Liu, says: “Capital Museum was one of the earliest collaboration projects between foreign and local architectural companies (AREP and Beijing Institute of Architectural Design respectively). Before, it was only big banks, international corporations and diplomatic facilities that hired foreign architects and local design institutes to work on projects together. So it’s one of the earliest local cultural buildings that tried to shape its appearance using a foreign perspective.
“It resulted in a refreshing piece of work. Its representation of local culture goes beyond a superficial mimic of the traditional Chinese roof or other stereotypical ‘Chinese’ features.
“The extended flat roof, vertical bamboo-like space, use of oxidized bronze material and the combination of the concrete panel and glass curtain wall systems, provides a unique, modern yet traditional, aesthetic. There are many other projects which have been made with similar goals over the last few years, but none have been executed as well as Capital Museum.”
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