This private contemporary art museum is housed in a 1930s Art Deco building in the historic Rockband Quarter. It is located in the northern part of the famous Shanghai Bund (Bund) embankment, built up at the end of the 19th - first third of the 20th century - during the period of the economic flourishing of the city - with representative buildings in the European spirit.
The rockband, which also includes buildings from different decades, is now being comprehensively reconstructed: the historical facades are being restored, the later extensions are being demolished, and new buildings are being erected from the side of the courtyards. Upon completion of the Rockband Project in 2013, it will consist of housing, hotels, offices and shops.
The first building to be completed, the former representative office of the Royal Asiatic Society (1932), became the Rockband Art Museum (total area 2300 m2). Inside, it received a free layout, facilitating the arrangement of expositions; it is centered around the new atrium. A modern building attached to the rear façade overlooks the Museum Square, a small courtyard in the southern part of the quarter.
David Chipperfield is not the only architect involved in Project Rockband, but in addition to the museum, he has been tasked with renovating 10 more buildings.
