China Arts and Crafts Museum and China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum

This national-level museum, designed and implemented by gmp von Gerkan, Marg and Partners, combines the functions of two museums into one, adding another important new building to the Olympic Park cultural district in Beijing. The architectural exterior is designed to complement its contents: the sculptural curtain wall features rich variations in color, depth, and luster, making the museum distinctive from both near and far. The new museum sits adjacent to the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, and the Asian Financial Tower and AIIB headquarters also designed by gmp and completed in 2021, together reshaping the northern end of Beijing's central axis. Within the new museum, numerous Chinese arts and crafts masterpieces and intangible cultural heritage treasures are displayed to the public at a national level for the first time. The building is 50 meters high, 201 meters long, and 75 meters deep, with proportions derived from the urban renewal requirements of the Olympic Park cultural complex. The building is structurally and dimensionally divided into three interlocking parts: a light-colored rust-stone granite base, a transparent glass curtain wall podium level, and a floating copper-colored main volume above. This three-part composition creates a roofed urban terrace at the 13.5-meter level that wraps around the building as public space. The 6-meter cantilevered roof also provides solar shading for the exhibition areas behind the glass facade. The museum's two entrances are located on its central axis, facing both the plaza to the east and the public space to the west. The design creates a civic landmark that celebrates Chinese cultural heritage while contributing to the urban fabric of Olympic Park.