Museum of Urbanism, Hangzhou, China

Museoplan won the invited competition for the Exhibition Design of the new Museum of Urbanism, the anchor institution of the Urban Constellation development. The 7,000 square meter proposal creates six distinct sections tracing the formal and historical development of cities across the world in a wide variety of media and presentation methods.  Individual sections include a time-line of global urbanism; a presentation of environmental challenges and futures for contemporary cities; a changing gallery of world cities and a special section on Hangzhou. The general focus of the entire permanent exhibition is on cities as generators of culture, responding to the theme proposed by the Urban Constellation: Better Cities, Better Life.  

Museoplan is responsible for the design of both the content of the Museum and its museological presentation, as well as ongoing curatorial programming. The new museum will occupy one of seven historic industrial sheds originally built to house China’s national steel smelting industry.  Herzog de Meuron are the architects for the restoration of the sheds and for the comprehensive site plan that will ultimately include four museums, of Architecture, Design, Fashion and Urbanism. 

2012 – 

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.