Dapeng Geology Museum and research center

leeMundwiler ‘s built project, Geology Museum & Research Center is the result of a complex brief and a challenging site. Set in a volcanic geological park on the Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen China, the project is split into two volumes - a 6,200 sq m museum and a 2,800 sq m research centre for visiting academics - connected by a sheltered courtyard. Incisive linearity and odd angles reference the rugged mountain backdrop and the twists and turns of the narrow streets in a nearby village. The natural site is otherwise left untouched, with the client keen to achieve UNESCO heritage status as a later date. In recognition of the site’s historic narrative, leeMundwiler has employed the functional elements of the complex in an intelligent façade that coaxes plant growth: moss and lichen, to ‘reclaim’ the form, softening the boundary between the natural attributes of the site and the human intervention.