Located in the Xuhui District in Shanghai along the Huangpu River, the site for Long Museum West Bund was once a coal dock. When the design started, there were a preserved coal hopper unloading bridge and an existing two-story underground parking garage within the site. The coal hopper bridge was built during the 1950s and is about 110 meters long, 10 meters wide and 8 meters high. The parking garage was built two years ago as part of another building whose above ground part was never realized.

The new design employs the “vault-umbrella” structure, which is a cantilever structure based on an independent wall. Following a free plan, shear walls are inserted into the existing basement and are connected to the existing column grid, thus transforming the previous garage space on the B1 level into gallery space. Various combinations between “vault-umbrellas” of different directions create multiple meanings for the above ground space. The mechanical system is integrated into the hollow space inside the “vault-umbrella” structure. Together, they cover a square site and form the interior space. The interior walls and ceilings are both of as-cast concrete finish. Their ambiguous geometric demarcation creates a unique spatial experience offering both a sense of protection and a sense of freedom. With a high integration of structure, mechanical system and spatial intention, a volumetric structure comes into being and is analogous to the existing coal hopper unloading bridge within the site. In this way, the new architecture establishes a relationship with this particular place.