The original architecture of Victorian style with Western-style gardens, like a woman with excessive makeup, is out of fashion. The owner’s intention is to transform its function into an artistic space for the public to appreciate. Our first step was to remove all the necklaces, earrings, clothing, and decorations to show it in its purest form.

With the entire base shaped like a Chinese long scroll, we reorganized the relationship between the building and the courtyards. We scattered 199 pine trees within. With the art gallery as the main building, we restored classical buildings and placed archways to the left and right, which not only realizes the owner’s preference but also positions the oriental style of the museum.

Leaving blank space is the highest artistic concept in the art of Chinese painting, whereas geometrical form is the most objective expression of Western logic and thought. For the architecture of the gallery, we removed the Western symbolism to give the purest white, and we used several different geometric structures to connect and create a new corridor by bridging the unrelatedness between the old buildings and echoing the scenery among the courtyards; the indoor ground going underground creates a vertical openness, extending the dimensionality. The significance of the museum’s existence is the presentation of art. As an exhibition platform, our definition of the Song Art Museum is an "art container", with "art" as the mainstay and "container" as the supplement, and it serves as a form that can be replicated in the future. Our transformation of architecture and freedom of space offer the greatest possibilities.

Song Art Museum transforms everything into geometry and purity and takes “non-action” from the outside to within. What we offer is a kind of "clean" existence. When “contemporary art” enters various forms, they can display their vocabulary and vitality without scruples. The courtyard is surrounded by pine trees, providing the external vitality of the Song Art Museum. The scenery becomes the breath of both the inside and outside, and the oriental freehand brushwork also becomes the natural rhythm of mutual reflection between traditional and modern architecture.

Song Art Museum design by Vermilion Zhou Design Group most recently won the 2021 Architizer A+Firm Award "Best in Typology - Interior Design-Institutional/ Cultural" category.

Technical sheet
Location: Beijing, China
Project completion date:2017.SEPT.
Client: H.BROTHERS ART
Design team:
Creative Director, Lead Designer: Kuang Ming (Ray) Chou
Architecture Design: Hai Shi, Jing Huang
Interior Design: Garvin Hung, Jamie Pai
Lighting Design: Vera Chu
FF&E Design: Mavis Huang, Boyuan Ling
Photographer: Zhi Xia, Jonathan Leijonhufvud

About Vermilion Zhou Design Group

In 2002, Vermilion Zhou Design Group was founded by Kuang Ming (Ray)Chou (Founder / Creative Director) and Vera Chu (Founder / Lighting Design Director) in Shanghai. Later in 2009, with Garvin Hung(Interior Design Director) joining the team, Vermilion Zhou Design Group has completed more than 800 projects across countries in Asia-Pacific. Our talented team has provided services to a variety of clients, ranging from public spaces, residential spaces to commercial spaces such as hotels, offices, restaurants.

At Vermilion Zhou Design Group, we never stop breaking boundaries and embracing new possibilities. Most importantly, the aspiration for the oriental modern lifestyle is what our designs are built upon, which also forms Vermilion Zhou’s unique identity in the field. To achieve a fine balance between functions and aesthetics in the design, our team is made up of creative minds from architecture, interior, lighting, graphic, and product design backgrounds to gain different perspectives in each project. Our ultimate goal is to succeed in creating highly functional designs that take people on a joyful and exquisite journey.