The Sea World Culture and Arts Centre, a 71,000 sq m building designed by Japanese architect Maki and Associates, has opened in Shenzhen, southeast China.
The six-storey museum will house the Design Society, China’s first dedicated cultural design hub, which will in turn contain a permanent exhibition space curated by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) of London.
The V&A Gallery opens with a site-specific exhibition with more than 250 objects from its collections, in a space designed by UK architect Sam Jacob Studio.
Dutch architect MVRDV has created an exhibition for the Design Society’s main gallery called "Minding The Digital", which aims to investigate "the impact of digitalisation through a series of works by over 50 international and local design practices".
The exhibition includes 60 China-based and works from international design practices.
UK consulting engineer Arup is hosting an interactive activity on the 12 December, which according to the Design Society will "explore the connections between nature and engineering and build a collaborative lightweight structure".Â
The centre is operated and programmed by the Design Society, a group established by China Merchants Shekou (CMSK), a state-owned firm that was founded in 1872.
Xu Yongiun, CMSK’s general manager, said: "We are proud to have established Design Society as an innovative platform to enhance and inspire the design industry in the region and beyond.
"Dedicated to continuing urban development in Shenzhen, we aim to continue to provide opportunities and support for the rising level of talent and enterprise here."
Images courtesy of the Design Society
