Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art (Shanghai MOCA) by Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects
The story of the Shanghai MoCA is that of an architectural “Cinderella”—an abandoned greenhouse in the park, transforming into a “Princess” of contemporary art. A series of geometric glass volumes were added to the structure, dissolving the predictable form of the original glass pavilion. The diagonally-laid “Mongolian Black” stone cladding over the existing concrete building gives a much subdued yet differentiated expression, highlighted by the deep-recessed stainless steel window frames that are intentionally mis-aligned. A sweeping curvature of glass-and-steel ramp “dances” through the existing reinforced concrete columns in different tangential relationships, allowing for a circumscribed and ascending viewing of large-scale installations placed in the center of the main exhibition space.