The Shenzhen Natural Museum, the largest comprehensive natural museum in South China, opened on July 28.
The landmark structure was built by China Construction Fifth Engineering Bureau together with China Construction Science and Industry Corp., Ltd. The museum’s exhibition display layout was designed and built by Second Construction Limited Company of the China Construction Eighth Engineering Division. These companies are subsidiaries of China State Construction Engineering Corporation.
A bird’s-eye view of the Shenzhen Natural Museum. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The museum, located in Pingshan District of Shenzhen, a city in South China’s Guangdong Province, occupies an area of 105,300 square meters. It is listed as one of Shenzhen’s “Ten Major Cultural Facilities for a New Era”. Adopting a “river delta” design concept, the main building consists of five conical structures.
The museum’s streamlined exterior blends seamlessly with the surrounding landscapes. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Unlike the enclosed layout of conventional museums, the venue extends exhibition spaces from indoor halls to outdoor areas. It has a rooftop botanical trail, stretching over 600 meters, that connects ecological landmarks including Yanziling Park and Chi’ao Water Wetland. The features make the museum a unique facility for visitors to perceive and explore nature.
The garden-like rooftop contains a 600-meter botanical trail. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The main structure of the museum is made completely of steel, consisting of 5,500 columns that form a framework weighing 24,000 metric tons. Its five halls gradually narrow from bottom to top, creating a rich array of curves, arcs, special shapes and irregular structures.
The innovative design forms an undulating and dynamically varied architectural silhouette. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
It houses eight permanent themed halls covering the universe, Earth, evolution, dinosaurs, humanity, biology, ecology and homeland. It presents a sweeping narrative ranging from cosmic stars to earthly habitats through 7,461 original specimens, 338 simulation models and 194 displays.
Equipped with supporting facilities such as a nature-themed theater and a dome cinema, the museum functions as an immersive and interactive “natural laboratory”, fully stimulating visitors’ scientific imagination.
A stairway leads toward a grand show of nature and science. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
(Executive editor: Zuo Shihan)
