Just like the theme and name of the He Art Museum, 

"He" equals "Harmony".

Tradition and modernity.

Peacefulness and dynamism.

Artificial and natural.

Simplicity and complexity.

Light and shadow.

These themes, located at opposite poles,

harmonize with each other to reveal the unity of the building.

The Facade of He Art Museum @He Art Museum

LIGHT OF "HE"

It took five years of planning and three years of construction.

Tadao Ando's largest single museum in China was finally completed in Shunde, Guangdong.

It is the only concrete double spiral staircase by the master to date.

In He Art Museum,

I have carried with the idea to create an architecture

that is not limited by the original concepts of art museums 

and it should be a place where people can experience symbiosis with nature. 

What I want to create is a space 

not restricted by the frames of art museums, 

which is extremely like the Pantheon. 

The concrete double spiral staircases inside the museum turn like DNA, 

and the light pours down from above when you look up from below. 

This light is the metaphor for the world where humans and nature coexist in harmony.

 ——Tadao Ando

<Architectural Practice Feb. 2021

Feature: Art Museums—
Crossovers & Collaboration>

He Art Museum Crescent Garden (partial view from above)@He Art Museum

He Art Museum Crescent Garden (partial view from above)@He Art Museum

"HE" AND "CIRCLE" 

The He Art Museum is a non-profit private art museum initiated by the family.

The family, in order to give back to the culture of their hometown,

plans to build an art museum that integrates traditional history and culture with modern contemporary art.

The hope is to create an architecture that is closely connected to the surrounding facilities, 

crosses regional boundaries, and has a sense of urban art space.

The founding family named the project "He Art Museum" 

in the hope of bringing harmony and peace to people's lives through cultural and artistic exchange.

The design of the building is based on the theme of "Harmony"("He"), 

from the architectural design to the detailed craftsmanship, 

all of which are presented in a variety of "circles", 

trying to create a new art and cultural center that 

integrates the architectural culture of Lingnan, China. 

The "circle" designed for the museum,

like water ripples, spreads from the center to the periphery,

forming the spatial effect of the building. 

And also the core of the architectural form naturally.

Specifically, these "circles" gradually expand from bottom to top 

with a certain eccentricity, and the four layers of circles also overlap and intertwine.

The three-dimensional "circles" are then offset, 

giving each space a clear central symmetry 

while this sequence is enriched by the effect of change.

This design also takes into account the characteristics of the subtropical climate in the Lingnan region,

creating an architectural expression with obvious light and shadow effects.

In the circular architectural form,

not only humanized functional areas such as exhibition space 

for modern Chinese art and public education space are set up,

but also a simple cube exhibition hall 

that can flexibly respond to the requirements of contemporary art display.

The spatial difference created by the conflict between "circle" and "square"

gives the museum a more individual connotation.

He Art Museum Gallery III (partial) @He Art Museum

The Facade of He Art Museum @He Art Museum

Fair-faced Concrete Double Spiral Stairs@He Art Museum

FINDING "HEM"

AND CREATING "HEM"

From the early stages of planning to the completion of the building 

and the opening of the museum, we have come a long way with HEM.

Here are three things we have done for the museum along the way.

The first story is about beauty——and the visual creation of the museum.

The impression of a project is closely related to the core concept of the project itself, 

its visual characteristics, and its cultural keywords.

In the process of exploring "What kind of visual totem belongs to HEM?" 

We found  "Harmony (He) and Beauty (Mei)"

——harmony plus difference is called beauty,
and beauty plus immortality is called harmony.

 "Harmony (He) and Beauty (Mei)"  is the highest state that artists pursue.

It is also the ideal guideline to be followed in the creative process.

Based on this, we have given the answer that can express 

the connotation of Ando style and artistic interpretation. 

Today, you can see it anywhere in HEM.

"BEYOND" Exhibition Site @ One-tenth, Photo by Tian Fangfang

The second story is about art,
the curation and official opening of the museum's major exhibition

 "BEYOND: Tadao Ando and ART".

Tadao Ando is an architect, and this is his commonly recognized identity. 

If you want to understand Tadao Ando's architecture, 

then the "ENDEAVORS" exhibition is a comprehensive display that is enough for one to digest. 

The HEM is our first project in the Greater Bay Area. 

It is also Tadao Ando's largest single museum project in China.

How to do it differently with Tadao Ando 

as the main character of the big opening exhibition? 

"ART".

This exhibition, "BEYOND", is a retrospective on the life of Tadao Ando.

It is my fourth understanding of Tadao Ando after his three exhibitions in China: 

"Architecture and Environment", "LEADING" and "ENDEAVORS".

This is my fourth understanding of Tadao Ando's life.

The kinetic phrase "BEYOND" is also a direct translation of 

Tadao Ando's willful mantra "乗り越える" (Overcome it).

when facing up to constraints and difficulties.

The "BEYOND" exhibition is divided into three sections: 

"#BEYOND ART" ,"#BEYOND LIGHT" and "#BEYOND ANDO" .

In the "#BEYOND ART" section, 

Mr. Ando himself selects 10 artists who have influenced him 

to collaborate again to realize artistic expression through space.

Tadao Ando is profound.

His life itself was an artistic scene that required deeper penetration.

Throughout most of his life, important points have been related to "art".

As a young man, he was influenced by artists and determined to devote himself to architecture.

The deep friendship and collaboration with artists 

became the driving force for Ando to open himself to the world;

Later, he worked as an artist in various media such as space.

From architecture to art, to art for art's own sake,

and then to art within art, to a deeper and broader dimension, 

to Tadao Ando, is the origin of this exhibition's thinking.

 —— Ma Weidong

 "BEYOND" Chinese Curator 

From the introduction of the "BEYOND" exhibition

Rendering of the HEM Restaurant (name TBD) @ Tadao Ando Architect & Associates

The third story is about anticipation,

and the two extensions of HEM: the museum café and restaurant.

We all know that Tadao Ando is a notoriously long-lasting service-provider type of architect.

The two projects that you can see when you go to the HEM, 

the HEM and %Arabica Coffee, are both designed by Tadao Ando. 

From conceptual design, schematic design, and expansion design to construction drawing coordination, 

CA-GROUP's twenty years of perfect master architectural service structure 

makes the idea to realization, smooth and professional.

At present, there is a third project, the HEM restaurant in progress. 

Let's wait and see.

We are very fortunate to have been involved in and witnessed the birth of the museum. 

We have accompanied the growth of this project through our methodology.

The story of growth continues, 

culture grows, and architecture grows.

The interest in the art museum is unexpected because in the past decade, art museums are still at a certain distance from the public, and the cultural consumption has actually started to develop only in recent years. We have built a base that satisfies us, but we are still not clear about the daily life and consumption habits of the locals and neighboring audiences.

Ando's design is indeed one of the reasons for the attraction of He Art Museum, but the function of the museum itself also counts. Though art exhibitions are not a big endogenous demand for local audiences at the moment, and most of them come for taking pictures and thinking the exhibitions and buildings look good when photographed, I think it at least make them step into the museum. 

——Shao Shu,
Executive Director of the HEM

<Architectural Practice Feb. 2021

Feature: Art Museums—
Crossovers & Collaboration>