Qinhuangdao Gem Museum

Role: Project Designer

Located adjacent to a natural corniche, the proposed Qinhuangdao Gem and Mineral Museum will exhibit world class collection of natural gemstones, crystals, and minerals found in China and around the world.  The 350,000 SF building is visually organized as a series of massing layers that abstractly allude to the rock strata where natural gemstones and minerals are found.

The proposed museum will have an extensive permanent exhibit on jade.  Exchange program with gem museums around the world will allow the Qinhuangdao Gem and Mineral Museum to regularly  update its rotating collections and to attract repeat visits from both domestic and international tourists.  Gem experts will perform real-time gem cutting and carving in the museum to showcase the artisanship of transforming stones into national treasures.

This design proposal was completed in 2013 as one of a collection of purely conceptual proposals for a Chinese developer interested in exploring potential real estate development opportunities in Qinhuangdao, China.

Design by Howard Chen while at Quantum-AIP as Founding Partner/ Design Director (2009-2015)