Located in the centre of Shenzhen’s creative parks and cultural venues, and connecting two major art districts - OCT and Futian Central District - Antuo Hill’s Antuoshan Museum sits amongst a mix of urban amenities, including residential communities, the Antuo Hill district primary school, general hospital, kindergartens, and international schools. In coordination with this urban scale, and so as not to challenge Antuo Hill’s presence, MVRDV’s design proposes a human scale for the museum, with horizontal program distribution and integration in the landscape. Additionally, the campuses serve dual functions of public space amenity, and cultural focal point. This concept builds on Antuo Hill’s strong infrastructure and mobility networks – both public transport and motorways. To this end, the design integrates with existing mobility connections, and creates additional pedestrian connections by blending the form of the low-rise art village into Antuo Hill’s topography, merging museum and nature, and museum and city in one cohesive gesture.

Across the motorway, Plot B is a denser echo of the activities of Plot A with three main exhibition programs – Shenzhen Pavilion of Museums, Window of Museum, and the Museum Cultural and Creative Park anchoring the plot’s three corners. Once again, a grid network based on site connections gives shape to the design with commercial programs placed along a main spine and plaza that has both a visual and physical pedestrian connection to Plot A and Antuo Hill. Three museum programs surround the plaza as it forms their central gathering point while internal streets through the buildings generate a smooth flow of circulation. External pathways pass through and over rooftop gardens, with buildi­­ng volumes stepping back to create a village-like, human-scale experience, and hosting terraces for open-air events and exhibitions.  As in Plot A, each rooftop has a distinct character giving the whole complex a quilted tapestry. These support diverse cultural and commercial activities, generating a highly interactive atmosphere where visitors encounter art in immersion.