GP
Evening view from Yanzi Lake · Visualisation: 3XN
The design is driven by the local ecosystem of the Pingshan area. The Natural History Museum emerges from the landscape and borrows its form from river delta formations, in a continuous dialogue between the built environment and the surrounding nature.
Indoor and outdoor spaces are interwoven: lush greenways, light-filled exhibition areas and places to pause, designed to encourage spontaneous social and educational exchange at every turn.
Giacomo designed the initial concept for the pre-qualification phase, against 90 other firms. The team was shortlisted to the final five, won first prize, and he went on to lead the schematic design.
The museum opened in July 2026 in the Pingshan District. At 100,000 m² it is the largest natural history museum in southern China: wrapped in strips of granite, with five cone-shaped galleries inside and a roof park and terraces open to everyone.
Role
Lead designer
Studio
3XN Architects, Copenhagen
With
B+H Architects, Zhubo Design
Client
Chinese Ministry of Culture
Programme
Museum, 100,000 m²
Location
Shenzhen, China
Status
Completed, opened July 2026
Year
2020–2026
Awards
1st prize, international competition
Photos
Adam Mørk
Film · 3XN | GXN
Competition sketch, 2020
01
Context & vision
The form borrows from the landscape around the site: mist on the hills, river bends and the branching patterns of a delta.
Reference images
02
Concept
The exhibition halls sit in a series of cones, linked by one flowing shape. Above them, the roof lifts off as a public park: the city's walkways continue across it, past terraces that look out over Yanzi Lake.
Exploded axonometric: the roof landscape lifted above the cones
Design: 3XN with B+H Architects and Zhubo Design · Photography: Adam Mørk
