Yellow River National Museum

The Yellow River is considered the cradle of Chinese culture. In addition to its historic importance for China’s cultural development, the Yellow River National Museum also addresses the geographical aspects of the approximately 5,000 kilometers long river. The new museum building reflects the meandering course of the river and forms a bridge between nature and civilization in terms of both urban design and content. With its streamlined contours, the building emerges from and becomes an integral part of the hilly landscape on the banks of the river. Gently rising and falling, the polygonal building crosses a watercourse in the park. As a continuation of the park, the green roof landscape leads to viewpoints across the Yellow River to the north and the city of Zhengzhou in the south. The museum’s curtain wall façade of natural stone, with its vertical rhythm and sculptural relief, has been built by using a modular system of prefabricated elements, the façade’s rhythmic texture is designed to echo the flow of the river. In the interior, visitors are guided through the museum by curved walls resembling washed-out stone and ceilings reflecting a pale yellow.