The newly unveiled museum is a piece of cutting-edge art itself – literally.
The two-storey glass-walled gallery clings to the side of a 541-foot-tall cliff in a national park in southern China.
Built in a natural dent on top of the cliff face, the building gives the impression as if it has been built into the rock.
The spectacular visual effect has earned the 800-square-metre (8,611 square feet) structure its nickname, the ‘floating museum’.
The two-storey glass-walled gallery clings to the side of a 541-foot-tall cliff in a national park in Guizhou, southern China
The architect, He Wei, said the curvy glass exterior wall creates the illusion that the building is growing out of the cliff
The museum, named Limestone Gallery, perches on the side of the Haiwei Canyon, overlooking the incredible Karst region
The observation deck on top of the building is a vantage point to take in the surrounding mountain ranges and gorges
Named the Limestone Gallery, the museum perched on top of the Haiwei Canyon in the Anlong Limestone Resort in Guizhou Province.
The 115-acre national park, which just opened last year, boasts incredible Karst landscape and remarkable hiking trails and one of the best Via Ferrata rock-climbing routes in China.
The Limestone Gallery is devoted to introducing the natural resources of the national park.
The exhibition halls are on the first floor while stylish meeting rooms occupy the ground floor. The observation deck on top of the building is a vantage point to take in the surrounding mountain ranges and gorges.
The Limestone Gallery, which was completed in July, is situated in the Anlong Limestone Resort in Guizhou Province
Built in a natural dent on top of the cliff face, the building gives the impression as if it has been built into the rock
The amazing building contains exhibition halls are on the first floor while stylish meeting rooms (left) occupy the ground floor
Users of the meeting rooms would be able to enjoy breath-taking limestone mountains while going through presentations
The museum is designed by 3andwich Design, a Beijing-based architectural firm led by China-born German-trained architect He Wei.
Mr He, 44, said in his mind the gallery should be ‘a viewing point with impressive sense of space’.
The celebrated artist and architect gave the museum an all-glass, crescent facade, which enables visitors to get a panoramic vista towards the national park.
Mr He said the wide, curvy exterior also offers an illusion that the museum, which took one year to build, is growing out of the cliff.
The stunning building is located within the Anlong Limestone Resort, a 115-acre national park which just opened last year
The Anlong Limestone Resort boasts incredible Karst landscape, remarkable hiking trails and is popular among outdoor fans
The 115-acre national park is home to one of the best routes for Via Ferrata, an up-and-coming rock-climbing sports in China
The museum is designed by 3andwich Design, a Beijing-based architectural firm led by China-born German-trained He Wei
The architect said in his mind the gallery, which took a year to build, should be a viewing point with impressive sense of space
The museum’s lounge area (pictured) boasts sleek wooden panels and columns, marble floor lining and tasteful decor
The conference area of the museum (pictured) is lighter, younger and more refreshing compared to the other sections
The gallery is devoted to introducing the national park. Pictured are the museum’s lounge area (right) and meeting area (left)
In addition, by using glass – a light building material – in rock, Mr He hopes the building could create a harmony between a man-made structure and nature.
A stunning drone video on Design Wire shows that the transparent attraction standing above the clouds as it overlooks river valleys.
In an interview with Design Wire, Mr He said buildings connect humans and natural landscape and that he hopes the three elements co-exist in this building.
The celebrated architect gave the museum an all-glass, crescent facade, which enables visitors to get a panoramic vista
The 44-year-old designer said the wide, curvy exterior also offers an illusion that the museum is growing out of the cliff
In an interview with Design Wire, Mr He said he hopes the building, nature and humans could co-exist in his design
‘The building blends in with the landscape and energises the landscape, while the landscape empowers the building and provides it with a beautiful environment.
‘The behaviour of the humans, on the other hand, make the building and the landscape meaningful.’
Limestone Gallery is currently opening on a trial basis.
The Limestone Gallery looks out to a breath-taking river valley in the national park in Anlong County, southern China
The transparent attraction stands nearly 550 feet above the ground and overlooks river valleys and limestone hills
By using glass , Mr He hopes the building could create a harmony between a man-made structure and surrounding nature