Results of the year 2021: the most striking architectural projects in the field of art Architecture 12.02.2022 Museums, galleries and art centers are always interesting to look at not only inside, but also outside. We have compiled a selection of the best architectural projects in the field of art, which opened in 2021. Photo: Adrià Goula A new cultural center in China designed by Christian de Portzamparc French architect Christian de Portzampark has built a new cultural center on the shores of Lake Tai in China. The building is divided into two parts, which are united by a continuous metal band. It «wraps» the facades of both buildings and forms an arch-loop in the center, which pedestrians see from afar, walking along the main road. The ribbon also repeats the shape of the figure of eight, but, according to the author of the project, it symbolizes duality and the movement of yin and yang energy. In addition, it resembles the ribbons used in the traditional theater of Suzhou. View the project The Art Center in the old Church building in Sag Harbor The Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership gave the old church of the 1830s a new life, turning it into a center of creativity. The design team, in close cooperation with customers, developed a reconstruction plan that took into account all the historical details of the building. The original facade combined different styles, including elements of Greek and Italian architecture, so the bureau had to work hard to restore its original appearance and get rid of long-term add-ons. View the project The M+ Museum designed by Herzog & de Meuron and Farrells in Hong Kong A new M+ museum dedicated to fine art, design, architecture and animation has opened on the coast of Victoria Harbor. Two well-known bureaus — Herzog & de Meuron and Farrells — worked on its design at once. The structure consists of two volumes — vertical and horizontal, which intersect, forming the shape of an inverted letter T. View the project Photo: Kevin Mak. Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron Photo: Kevin Mak. Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron Snow-white Museum in Beijing The architects of the Vermilion Zhou Design Group bureau have built a new museum in Beijing, completely devoid of decor and decorations. In shape, it resembles a long scroll unfolded on the territory of the park. View the project Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud, Zhi Xia Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud, Zhi Xia Art Reserve in Wisconsin The Art Reserve is the world’s first museum dedicated to self-taught artists. It houses the largest collection of works of art, which was created not in studios and workshops, but in ordinary houses and courtyards. View the project Francois Pinault Museum of Modern Art designed by Tadao Ando Japanese architect Tadao Ando reconstructed the building of the stock exchange in Paris by order of Francois Pinault. Now it is a huge museum of modern art. Inside the original rotunda, Ando built a cylindrical gallery lined with cement, modern works on which are combined with frescoes of the XIX century. View the project Art Museum designed by Alvaro Siza and Carlos Castanera A new Humao Museum of Art and Education has opened in the Chinese city of Ningbo, which was designed by Pritzker laureate Alvaro Siza and Carlos Castanera. The black metal facade completely hides the interior space, so to see the museum from the inside, you will have to look through a small window on the first level or find an inconspicuous main entrance. Inside, visitors instantly discover an unexpectedly huge space and a maze of ramps. In the center there is a full—height atrium of the building, and on the sides there are art galleries with snow-white walls. View the project The Jewish Museum of Manchester by Citizens Design Bureau The British studio Citizens Design Bureau reconstructed an old synagogue, and also built a new building for the Jewish Museum of Manchester. It took almost ten years to plan the reconstruction, and it took two years for direct work. Finally, on July 2, the synagogue and the museum opened their doors to everyone. View the project Hans Christian Andersen Museum designed by Kengo Kuma The Kengo Kuma and Associates bureau worked on the project of the new Hans Christian Andersen museum, and the exhibition spaces were designed by the London studio Event Communications. To design an unusual space, they had to immerse themselves in the worlds of his fairy tales. The result was several curved buildings with psychedelic galleries and intricate gardens. View the project Photo: Rasmus Hjortshøj New office and cultural center in Seoul designed by Herzog & de Meuron The Swiss studio Herzog & de Meuron has built an office and cultural center in Seoul. The total area of the building is 8000 m2, it consists of eleven aboveground floors and five levels underground. The exterior has a triangular shape: one side of the facade is high and straight, and the other is built at an angle. View the project The New Munch Museum in Oslo The Spanish studio Estudio Herreros has built a new museum on the waterfront in the Bjorvik district, which houses the world’s largest collection of works by Edvard Munch. The structure took a prominent place near the Opera House designed by Snøhetta. The angular-shaped building seems to lean towards the theater and the city center and embodies a welcoming gesture inviting visitors to come inside. View the project The Snøhetta Bureau has expanded the Ordrupgaard Museum in the suburbs of Copenhagen The Snøhetta Bureau built a structure on the territory of the Ordrupgaard Museum, which combined a neoclassical mansion and a 2005 extension designed by Zaha Hadid. It creates a holistic and continuous route through the entire museum, surrounding the park and gardens. In total, the project includes five underground exhibition spaces and several new landscape zones. Expansion of the Kuppersmule Museum by Herzog & de Meuron For more than four years, the Swiss bureau Herzog & de Meuron has been expanding the small Kuppersmule museum in Duisburg. A brick extension added 2,500 m2 of exhibition space. It is made in accordance with the original complex and almost exactly repeats the facades of old buildings. Three new interconnected buildings are adjacent to a number of granary buildings and are connected at different levels via bridges passing directly through the silos. View the project The New Conservatory in Rennes The architects of the Tetrarc Architectes bureau developed and showed the conservatory project back in 2016. Finally, five years later, music started playing there. In addition to the main hall with 300 seats, the building houses three dance studios, a theater, rehearsal halls, studios for percussion and jazz, as well as a music training center. View the project The Boijmans — van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam The Boijmans—van Beuningen Museum storage facility, built according to the MVRDV project, has officially opened in Rotterdam. The uniqueness of the object is that it is the first in the history of the museum “storeroom», which was opened to the public. View the project Performing Arts Center in Dali Studio Zhu-Pei architects have built a Performing Arts center with an undulating roof in the Chinese city of Dali. The landscape played an important role in this project, so the building has a rectangular roof that covers the view of the mountains from all sides and forms a platform for outdoor performances. The staircase leading to the roof turns into steps for viewing performances, and the structure, covered with wooden slats, resembles a nest that protects from wind and sun. View the project «Chapel of Sound” in China Beijing studio OPEN Architecture has built a monolithic concert hall in the open air. It looks like a natural boulder, because the architects used not only concrete, but also mineral rocks from this region for the construction. The studio wanted to create a structure that would fit into the landscape as harmoniously as possible, while meeting all the standards of the concert hall. View the project