Behold, Perkins + Will's Nature-Inspired Museum for Shanghai

Nine years in the making, the new Shanghai Natural History Museum finally opened its doors last week, revealing a host of natural inspirations in its architecture. Designed by international firm Perkins+Will, the five-story venue assumes the basic shape of a mollusk shell: the spiraling green-roofed structure curves around a sunken garden and pond, which is shielded by a stone wall that references shifting technic plates. Meanwhile, the inner facade of the building features a complex sunscreen that echoes both cell structure and patterns found in traditional Chinese gardens.

The 480,000-square-foot museum is loaded with exhibition spaces and a 4D theater, housing more than 10,000 artifacts from all seven continents. The building also features a geothermal system where the sunken pond collects rainwater from the vegetated roof and regulates building temperature through evaporative cooling.

· Shanghai's natural history museum by Perkins + Will opens in China [Design Boom]
· All Museums coverage [Curbed National]