Shanghai Planetarium: The Story Of The Sky Reappeared On The Earth With Buildings

In ancient times, the land was deserted, and human civilization was like the dawn. As early as that time, the ancient astronomy was born. Our ancestors determined the time by observing the sun, the moon and the stars with the naked eye, and made calendars to guide agricultural production. Up to now, China's Shenzhou 12 has been successfully launched, and "zhurong" has been working continuously on the surface of Mars... For thousands of years, mankind has never stopped exploring space, and has been searching for the unknown starry sky in different time and space.

Now, the universe has come to us.

Shanghai planetarium, the world's largest museum of astronomy, officially opened to the public on July 18. Shanghai planetarium is located near Dishui Lake, a new area of China (Shanghai) pilot free trade zone. It covers an area of 38000 square meters and is nearly 70 kilometers away from the center of Shanghai. Although it will take nearly an hour and a half to travel by car, the long distance still keeps the public enthusiastic and curious about the planetarium. It is reported that on the first day of opening up, there were 6000 bookkeepers and more than 3000 instantaneous passenger flow, and long lines were formed inside and outside the venues. The most attractive thing for tourists to "punch in" is not only the immersive science and technology exhibition combined with high-tech, but also the shocking architectural beauty of the venue itself.

Shanghai planetarium. Information map

The architectural form of Shanghai planetarium draws lessons from the basic principle of the universe, discards the elements of straight line or right angle, so as to truly reflect the geometric shape of the universe and the dynamic energy of celestial body movement. The designer abstracts the intricate trajectories of the celestial bodies in the solar system caused by gravity by the arc-shaped appearance and spiral green belt on the facade of the planetarium.

The whole planetarium and its three major architectural elements, the round hole skylight, the celestial sphere and the inverted dome, are intended to explain the basic laws of celestial bodies.

The round hole skylight is located at the main entrance of the planetarium. When sunlight passes through the hole, it will form a spot on the ground and move with the sun moving in the sky, making the whole building a "large astronomical instrument", which can record the passage of time. The sphere of the planetarium refers to the original shape of the universe. The top of the sphere is embedded on the roof of the lower podium of the planetarium. By reducing the visible supporting structure, it is suspended on the ground like a new star rising from the horizon. Located at the top of the atrium of the planetarium, the inverted dome adopts a huge inverted glass tension structure, so that visitors can get rid of all the noise around them and concentrate on looking up at the sky and meditating on the universe.

It is Ennead architects, headquartered in New York, that came up with this architectural design for the Shanghai planetarium. It was founded in 1963. After more than half a century of development, it has gradually accumulated rich design experience of large-scale public venues, such as the National Museum of natural history "Ross earth and Space Center", the Brooklyn Museum entrance Pavilion and Plaza, and the Utah natural history museum.

In 2014, Thomas J. Wong, the design partner of Ennead, proposed to draw inspiration from the classic "three body problem" of physics, and create an existence that "can fully integrate the functions of the planetarium with the architectural entity, and make the building itself have teaching significance." This creative design concept eventually helped them stand out from the numerous projects.

Recently, Thomas Wong, design partner of Ennead architectural design firm and member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), was interviewed by 21st century economic reporter (hereinafter referred to as "21st century")“ According to Ennead, architecture is a civic enterprise, and its influence is far beyond the physical scope of concrete buildings. Architecture has the opportunity - in fact, the responsibility - to shape our cities and neighborhoods positively and proactively. " As for the design of the Shanghai planetarium, which is popular in the Internet, he believes that from a higher level, one of the core challenges of museum design is to create customized physical space, but not only to meet the user's functions and the envisaged goals, but also to establish its own unique identity from the outside“ Museums should not only stimulate people's interest in participation, but also become a unique landmark of local communities. "

21st century: before the design of Shanghai planetarium, how do you understand the space needed and the functions to be realized?

Thomas WONG: Although the bidding brief gives a very specific description of the planning and functional requirements of the museum, we know from the beginning that this building will play an important role in creating a tourist experience. We learned early in our work on projects such as the Ross earth and space center that designing a strong and inspiring space can provide us with a "window" to the grand universe.

The Shanghai planetarium needs to reflect its identity and mission as a branch of Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, and to define a brand-new symbolic cultural institution in the city. Let people come into contact with the actual astronomical phenomena in this building, stimulate the curiosity of tourists of different ages and invite them to learn more about the universe. We have long recognized that this building needs to reflect China's long and rich history in astronomy, not only to connect with past achievements, but also to draw a blueprint for China's space exploration ambitions today. What we want to do is to encourage people to look up at the sky again and arouse their curiosity about the sky.

21st century: how do you think the architectural design market in China is different from that in the United States or other countries?

Thomas WONG: Although I think the construction market is now a global format, a significant difference in working in China is that the Chinese market is very optimistic about the possibility and potential of projects. China welcomes ambitious design ideas and architectural talents from all over the world, and pays close attention to the speed of project completion and the construction of large-scale new cities. What I really appreciate is that China has made a relatively holistic and comprehensive thinking about urban development, taking into account the planning of infrastructure, transportation, parking and future expansion.

Buildings like the Shanghai planetarium may not be built anywhere else in the world. The cost of building the same venue elsewhere in the world is likely to double. And China is in the explosive growth stage of eager for new cultural facilities, hoping to compete with other competitors as a cultural center on a global scale. Therefore, the opportunity to build such a new museum dedicated to the popularization of astronomy is unprecedented.

In the west, most of these venues will be integrated into buildings that have already been built. Many large-scale capital projects still need to rely partly or completely on charity funds, so few new venues are built. So the opportunity to design such a grand project from scratch is rare, and it inspires us to think about all aspects of the future for this building and its significance for Shanghai, China and the world.

21st century: style is not good or bad, but architecture is good and bad. How do you evaluate the design of a building?

Thomas WONG: this problem can be traced back to the origin of "architecture" created by human beings, and it is also a question that often has fierce differences. Your question implies a premise that I agree with, that is: architectural style, or architectural language presented by individuals, is secondary to the essential concept of architecture.

Clarity, simplicity and uniqueness are the first steps in evaluating an architectural design. On this basis, the architect integrates his own architectural style into it, so as to upgrade an ordinary building to the level of a great building, such as the works of Anthony Gaudi. But for me personally, when I make a critical evaluation, I will try to understand what the basic needs of the project are, how to deal with these needs in the design proposal, and whether the implementation degree of all dimensions, from the overall architectural form to the details of the components, is successful.

21st century: what new trends do you think will emerge in architectural design in the future?

Thomas WONG: the future of architecture will be more intertwined with the future of mankind: emerging technologies will be integrated into all aspects of life, and we will pay more attention to the impact of human beings on the natural world. This means that architects need to explore new materials, technologies and building components, which are made of renewable materials and can minimize carbon content. The construction industry needs to do its part to reduce the impact on the environment.

Another major urban issue involves improving land use efficiency, land conservation and the optimal reuse of existing buildings. With the growth of global population, we need to realize the balance between the expansion of cities and the protection of the earth's natural environment. I think there is a piece of untapped resource land, that is, the roof of every building, which may be a "potential stock" developed into urban farming agriculture and water recycling. Although our city may eventually have a denser population, it is hoped that there will still be enough urban open space and landscape parks to balance each other.