Qujiang Museum Of Fine Arts Extension / Neri&Hu Design And Research Office

Architects: Neri&Hu Design and Research Office
Area: 1,990 m²
Year: 2021
Photography: STUDIO FANG; Runzi Zhu
Lead Architects: Lyndon Neri, Rossana Hu
Design Team: Ivy Feng, Wenbo Da, Joy Han, Tian Hua, Bella Wu
Lighting: Linea Light (China) Co., Ltd.
Contractor: Power China Chongqing Engineering Co., Ltd.
Client: Yungao Hotels (Group) Xi’an
City/Location: Xi’an
Country: China

The Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts Extension by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office introduces a measured yet expressive architectural addition at the eastern threshold of an established cultural institution in Xi’an. Located within the highly activated urban setting of Datang Everbright City, the project addresses the client’s request for a recognizable civic marker while maintaining a restrained dialogue with the surrounding galleries and public spaces. The design is structured as a layered composition that integrates cultural, commercial, and public functions through a sequence of excavation and elevation. By partially submerging the base and lifting key programmatic elements above the plaza, the extension establishes a continuous public ground while enriching spatial permeability. A palette of concrete, glass, stone, and red travertine articulates distinct architectural zones, resulting in an urban monument that balances material permanence with openness and public accessibility.

The Urban Monument | Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts is located at the beginning section of Xi’an’s Datang Everbright City, south of the famed Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The client asked for a new architectural icon at the East Entry of the museum. In response to the brief, our proposal takes the idea of a monolithic urban monument as the guiding concept to not only satisfy the museum’s newly expanded cultural and commercial functions, but to also serve as an anchor and a durable symbol of social history for the surrounding urban fabric.
Interview with Lyndon Neri & Rossana Hu of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office

Qujiang museum of fine arts extension / neri&hu design and research office

The extension positions itself as an urban hinge rather than a freestanding icon, mediating between the existing museum complex and the dense pedestrian landscape that defines its context. Instead of relying on overt formal gestures, the project derives its civic presence from careful massing and spatial continuity, allowing the building to register as a durable component of the city’s cultural infrastructure.

At ground level, the architecture is anchored by a partially sunken concrete base that reconfigures the plaza into a continuous public surface. Portions of the original museum program, including gallery and dining spaces, are retained within this base, while new retail functions and public amenities are inserted to support the surrounding commercial activity. Existing steps at the main entrance are partially preserved and extended downward, linking the plaza to a sunken piazza that encourages gathering and movement.

Vertical circulation is orchestrated through a sculptural enclosure that houses escalators connecting the plaza to the underground museum level. This circulation sequence is defined by shifting sectional conditions, moving from compressed passages to expanded volumes that heighten spatial awareness. A triple-height light well at the base of the sunken piazza introduces daylight deep into the plan, reinforcing the sense of drama and orientation within the subterranean spaces.

Hovering above the base, the elevated platform is expressed through a post-and-lintel system composed of stone columns and glass curtain walls. This level accommodates retail programs and is intentionally articulated as a lightweight, transparent layer, emphasizing its separation from the carved solidity of the base. The contrast underscores the stratified logic of the building while allowing visual permeability across the site.

The architectural composition culminates in the monument, a sculpted upper volume that houses a lounge and an outdoor amphitheater. Clad in diamond-shaped red travertine masonry units, the elevation modulates light while asserting civic gravity. A passage from the existing museum leads to a bowl-shaped terrace that functions as a public forum, accommodating performances, events, and social gatherings. Through this layered assembly of ground, platform, and monument, the extension reinforces the museum’s role as a social and cultural anchor within Xi’an’s evolving urban landscape.