© ATCHAIN & Snøhetta.
Curated by Archirev Editorial | Feature Story | Published Nov 24th 2025
Source: Snøhetta
PROJECT TYPOLOGY: MUSEUM & GALLERY
Project name: Hangzhou Qiantang Bay Art Museum
Location: Hangzhou, China
Architect: Snøhetta
Size: 18,000 m²
Timeline: 2025–
Client: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Qianjiang Century Development & Construction Co., Ltd.
Status: Competition Won
Program: Exhibition halls, public spaces, educational spaces, social areas, rooftop terraces, community gathering areas
Collaborators: The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd., Buro Happold
Rendering: © ATCHAIN & Snøhetta
In Hangzhou’s rapidly developing Xiaoshan District, Snøhetta has won the international competition to design the new Hangzhou Qiantang Bay Art Museum, envisioned as a symbolic gateway between the city, the river, and the region’s evolving cultural landscape. Situated at the confluence of the Qiantang River and the Central Water Axis, the 18,000-square-meter landmark will become the architectural centrepiece of the wider Qiantang Bay Future Headquarters development.
Shaped by the fluidity of the surrounding waterways, the design is conceived as an exploration of artistic movements, time, and landscape, merging architecture and terrain into a continuous public experience. Snøhetta describes the project as a “gateway for imagination,” where visitors encounter art through spaces shaped by the rhythms of nature.
Blending curved geometry with a façade made from Gaudí-inspired ceramic mosaics, the tower introduces a softer architectural expression and foregrounds nature as an essential part of contemporary urban housing.
Aerial view of the museum volumes. © ATCHAIN & Snøhetta
Two wave-like volumes define the museum’s architectural identity.
A Museum Shaped by Water and Movement
The museum’s form is inspired by the motion of tides and the connective quality of bridges. Snøhetta interprets the site’s dual condition: between riverfront and urban skyline, into two sweeping, wave-like volumes that frame the site like a sculpted landscape.
These fluid forms organize the museum’s circulation, with all routes converging into a central gateway, both a spatial hinge and a civic threshold. This gateway opens onto the Qiantang River, creating a powerful connection between the water and the city.
The site’s unique geography becomes a design catalyst:
- Facing the Qiantang River to the south
- Oriented toward urban districts and metro access to the north
- Positioned along major cultural and landscape corridors
Through this, the museum becomes the literal and symbolic meeting point of Hangzhou’s future cultural axis.
Central gateway space. © ATCHAIN & Snøhetta
The gateway serves as a public connector between the riverfront and the city. © ATCHAIN & Snøhetta
A Walkable Landscape That Flows Indoors
A defining feature of the project is the seamless integration of landscape and architecture. Soft, undulating terrain guides visitors from the riverfront and the urban side into the building, establishing the museum as part of the public realm rather than an isolated object.
Key landscape strategies include:
- Meandering pathways that draw visitors indoors
- Rooftop terraces offering panoramic views of the river and skyline
- Bridge-like walkways linking urban edges with cultural spaces
- Gradual transitions between exterior promenades and interior circulation
To the north, the design extends the riverscape into elevated paths and rooftop terraces. To the east, bridge-inspired walkways enable visitors to ascend from the city’s built environment into the museum, embarking on a continuous, exploratory journey that allows wanderers to step by step ascend toward the sky and waters.
Rooftop terraces. © ATCHAIN & Snøhetta
The rooftop landscape provides new public spaces and elevated river views.
Inside the Museum: A Civic and Cultural Anchor
The heart of the building is its central exhibition zone, surrounded by generous public areas designed for social interaction, learning, and community events. The program includes:
- Main exhibition halls
- Public gathering spaces
- Educational and cultural learning areas
- Flexible social and community zones
- Indoor-outdoor transitions promoting movement and exploration
Circulation routes intentionally flow toward the central gateway, creating a sense of orientation and connection between indoor galleries and the landscape beyond.
The design reflects Hangzhou’s broader ambition to create a cultural corridor linking key destinations along the Qiantang River and the Central Water Axis. The museum is set to become the flagship institution anchoring this future district.
Interior side of the central gateway. © ATCHAIN & Snøhetta
Architecture as a Bridge between Nature and Culture
Snøhetta’s proposal connects the city’s future development with its natural identity. The museum’s wave-like geometry, accessible landscape, and framed water views all contribute to a new cultural landmark that celebrates Hangzhou’s relationship with its river.
The architecture aims to inspire curiosity, movement, and imagination, making the museum not only a place for art but also a gateway for creativity, accessible to residents, visitors, and the broader community.
Architecture nixed with nature. © ATCHAIN & Snøhetta
Archirev's Insight
Snøhetta’s Hangzhou Qiantang Bay Art Museum presents a fresh, integrated approach to cultural architecture in rapidly urbanizing districts. Instead of framing art within enclosed volumes, the design opens the institution to landscape, river, and community. Through its wave-like geometry and landscape-driven circulation, the museum acts as connective tissue for the future Qiantang Bay development. Indeed, a public threshold where nature and art merge as one unified spatial narrative.