Project Name: Yellow River National Museum

Location: Zhengzhou, China

Design Team: gmp Architects

Total Floor Area: 100,300 m²

Completion: 2025

Photography: Marcus Bredt

Feature:

Project - German architecture firm gmp Architects completed the Yellow River National Museum in Zhengzhou, China, creating a sinuous structure that literally follows the meandering path of the 5,000-kilometer-long river. The project explores not only the river's cultural significance but also its role in shaping the landscape, with both the new museum building and surrounding park tracing the river's course to form a physical and conceptual bridge between nature and civilization.

The museum's most striking feature is its seamless integration with the landscape – the green roof extends upward to a 40-meter observation deck, creating a continuous topography that blurs the boundaries between architecture and nature. Winding rooftop paths lead visitors through native vegetation environments, picnic areas, and an open-air theater, offering panoramic views of both the Yellow River to the north and Zhengzhou city to the south.

At the building's heart lies a sculptural atrium that can be dramatically enhanced with a cascading water curtain, serving as the light-filled core of the museum experience. The polygonal structure gently rises and falls as it bridges a watercourse within the park, with the crossing point forming the luminous heart of the building.

The façade showcases a modular curtain wall system of natural stone with vertical rhythmic texturing that echoes the river's flow patterns. Public zones are punctuated by slender vertical windows that admit natural light, while exhibition spaces are shielded from direct illumination. Three large north-facing windows reference the Yellow River's iconic cave dwellings while framing sweeping landscape views.

The main entrance, positioned beneath the building's tallest southern point, appears as a glazed opening carved directly from the massive volume. This cutout impresses with its subtly shimmering yellow-toned brass cladding along the façade and ceiling, which continues on the inside: curved walls resembling eroded rock and softly reflective yellowish ceilings guide visitors into the museum.

Located at the heart of the Yellow River National Cultural Park, the museum rises from the rolling riverside landscape in a streamlined form, connecting the surrounding green spaces into a cohesive whole. As an extension of the public park, the museum embodies the profound cultural symbolism of the Yellow River as the cradle of Chinese civilization.

Design Team - Founded in Hamburg in 1965 by Meinhard von Gerkan and Volkwin Marg, gmp Architects has evolved into a globally recognized architectural practice with over 50 years of experience in delivering contextually responsive design solutions. The firm operates on a generalist approach across eight international offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Aachen, Munich, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hanoi, tackling projects at all scales from residential developments to urban planning initiatives.

gmp's design philosophy centers on four core principles: simplicity, unity in diversity, uniqueness, and structural order. Their approach, termed "designing in dialogue," establishes an interactive methodology between architectural concepts and site-specific parameters. The firm's commitment to functional optimization means buildings are evaluated through programmatic relevance, constructional logic, material appropriateness, and contextual responsiveness.

The practice's comprehensive portfolio spans cultural institutions, transportation infrastructure, commercial developments, and sports facilities across all continents. Recent achievements include multiple CTBUH Awards for the CSCEC Science and Innovation Building in Guangzhou and recognition for projects like the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum in Beijing.

gmp's holistic sustainability approach prioritizes climate-aware construction standards and adaptive reuse strategies, ensuring long-term architectural relevance beyond temporary stylistic trends. Their dialectical design process transforms ideas into built reality while maintaining sensitivity to environmental contexts and societal requirements.