The internationally acclaimed Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta has been selected to design the Qiantang Bay Art Museum, a significant new cultural landmark that will serve as a centerpiece of the Qiantang Bay Future Headquarters development in Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, China. The ambitious project represents a major addition to Hangzhou's expanding cultural infrastructure and will cover an impressive 18,000 square meters of architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design.
Snøhetta is collaborating with two distinguished partners on this prestigious commission: the Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd., and the global engineering consultancy Buro Happold. This international partnership brings together Norwegian design excellence with local expertise and world-class engineering capabilities to create what promises to be an architecturally significant addition to China's cultural landscape.
The museum occupies a strategically important location at the confluence of the Qiantang River and the Central Water Axis, positioning it as a gateway between Hangzhou's urban core and its defining natural waterscape. This prime location offers direct metro access for visitors and provides broad visual connections to both major waterways that define the region. The site's positioning allows the museum to serve as an important destination for art, culture, and public life while forming an integral part of Hangzhou's expanding downtown area along the Qiantang River.
Snøhetta's architectural concept embraces what the firm describes as the duality between nature and the city, using the flow of water as a central metaphor for artistic and cultural movements through time. The design team has positioned the museum as a "gateway for imagination," creating a symbolic and physical link between the district's cultural cluster and the riverfront. This conceptual approach channels creativity from Hangzhou's urban center toward its defining natural landscape, creating a harmonious relationship between built and natural environments.
The building's form takes inspiration from two interwoven, wave-like volumes that reflect both the fluid motion of water and the connective structure of a bridge. This distinctive configuration organizes all circulation routes around a central node, establishing a dynamic public realm designed to encourage exploration and interaction among visitors. The undulating topography guides people across the site through a carefully choreographed sequence of outdoor and indoor experiences, ultimately leading them to a rooftop terrace that offers panoramic views of both the river and city skyline.
The landscape architecture component extends the museum's reach into its surroundings through meandering pathways that connect the interior spaces with the natural setting. On the north side of the building, promenades follow the riverscape toward elevated viewpoints, while on the east side, bridge-like walkways create smooth transitions from the urban context into the museum proper. At ground level, a central Gateway serves both spatial and symbolic functions, drawing visitors toward the water's edge while framing dramatic views of the Qiantang River.
Inside the museum, the design centers around main exhibition halls that form the institution's core, surrounded by open areas specifically designed for social interaction, education, and cultural exchange. This layout reflects contemporary museum design principles that emphasize community engagement and multifunctional use of cultural spaces. The interior spaces are designed to be flexible and adaptable to various types of exhibitions and cultural programming.
This project joins a growing number of recent waterfront cultural developments worldwide that maximize their scenic locations. Other notable examples include Renzo Piano Building Workshop's Isola della Musica, a new opera house and convention center in Hanoi, Vietnam, which recently broke ground. In Australia, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners announced completion of the Barangaroo South Masterplan in Sydney, marking the end of a 15-year redevelopment that reconnected the city's northwestern harbor edge with its urban core. Meanwhile, in France, Bjarke Ingels Group unveiled designs for a new congress center in Rouen, distinguished by a sweeping timber roof that celebrates the city's historic relationship with water. Earlier this year, MVRDV revealed its design for rock-like tourist facilities along the coastal area of Jialeshui at Taiwan's southern tip, demonstrating the global trend toward culturally significant waterfront architecture.
