Shanghai Planetarium

In November 2016, construction work began on the Shanghai Planetarium, a project inspired by orbital motion.

Designed by Ennead Architects, the 38,000 sq. m planetarium is intended to ‘define a new identity for the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (SSTM) and the Lingang district of Shanghai’.

The competition-winning design is inspired by astronomical principles, with each of the building’s three orms – the oculus, the inverted dome and the sphere representing an astronomical instrument, tracking the sun, moon and stars.

Thomas Wong, lead designer of the planetarium and Design Partner said:

"In linking the new Museum to both scientific purpose and to the celestial references of buildings throughout history, the exhibits and architecture will communicate more than scientific content: they will illuminate what it means to be human in a vast and largely unknown universe.”

The project, led by Mr. Wong and management partner Guy Maxwell, is set to open in 2020.

Content and images courtesy of Ennead Architects.

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Comments

You could argue that the concept resembles two galaxies colliding together!