The museum, entrusted to Austrian architects in a major open competition in 2007, combines two completely different institutions - the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Urban Planning Exhibition (PE), so that inside the building is divided into two almost independent parts.
Outside, the building, however, is a completely solid volume, sheathed with natural stone panels. The glazed insert in the center allows you to look from the street into the intermediate space - "Plaza" - between the museum and the exhibition, where the silvery "Cloud" is placed - a whimsical volume that serves as the semantic and visual center of the building. There are cafes, bookshops and museum shops, and "Cloud" connects the exhibition halls of both parts with bridges and ramps. From the Plaza you can get to the auditoriums, the multifunctional hall and the MOCAPE library.
The Plaza is elevated 10 meters above ground level, as are the main levels of the other structures of the Futian Culture Quarter: MOCAPE completed its ensemble by positioning itself between the youth center and the library and opera complex. The podium of the building houses administration offices, shops and multifunctional spaces.
The MOCAPE halls are devoid of supports and vary in height from 6 to 17 meters; they receive natural light through permeable ceilings and panoramic windows, which also offer spectacular views of Shenzhen.
Among the green components of the project are the use of solar energy and a geothermal space cooling system.
