OPEN's shede culture museum shaped from earth, glass & bronze

in a chinese garden, shede culture museum tops out

Rising from a circular garden pond, OPEN Architecture‘s Shede Culture Museum has topped out in Shehong, China. The project is expected to complete in 2027, and will stand as a new threshold for a distillery along the Fu River.

The project occupies a peripheral site that has long remained unused despite its proximity to the main entrance. OPEN identifies this edge condition as an opportunity. The museum draws visitors into a landscape that bridges production and public life, and uses land and water to create a tranquil arrival experience.

visualizations © OPEN Architecture

A built landscape of pond and islands

At the center of the Shede Culture Museum is a ninety-meter circular pond, which the team at OPEN Architecture inserts into the existing garden. Its geometry establishes a continuous field without corners, where a covered walkway traces the perimeter as a semi-transparent ring.

Within this water surface, three volumes appear as separate figures. Their placement follows the classical principle of One Pond, Three Mountains, translating a historic garden composition into a contemporary architectural system. Mist and gentle water movement animate the surface, introducing shifts in atmosphere throughout the day.

the Shede Culture Museum is set within the East Garden of a distillery in Shehong China

three buildings, three material expressions

Each of the Shede Culture Museum’s three buildings engages the pond in a different way. OPEN Architecture designs one to volume hover above the surface, while one sits within it and one extends below, peering slightly above the waterline.

These volumes are defined by material. The Glass Box is wrapped in a thin veil of flowing water that runs continuously down its facades and recirculates below. The Earth Box is formed from local yellow soil using rammed-earth construction, directly referencing the fermentation pits used in spirit production. The Bronze Box is clad in perforated panels whose patterns encode verses about spirits in Morse code, introducing a layer of text embedded within the facade.

three volumes engage the water differently by hovering, resting, or extending below the surface

Movement between water and enclosure

Visitors move across bridges and through the volumes, alternating between enclosed galleries and open views across the pond. The sequence of spaces shifts between darker interiors and brighter passages, guided by changes in light and reflection.

Below the waterline, the buildings connect into a continuous interior. This lower level houses a theater, rehearsal space, and supporting functions, allowing the above-ground volumes to remain visually distinct. The separation between what is seen above and what is connected below shapes a reading of the museum as both fragmented and unified.

a ninety-meter circular pond defines the project and organizes movement through water and land

Material time and environmental systems

The selection of earth, glass, and bronze ties the architecture to the processes of making Shede spirits. Each material carries a different temporal quality. Rammed earth records the compression of soil and the passage of weather. Bronze surfaces develop patina over time. Water flowing across glass introduces constant change.

Environmental strategies are integrated into the design. A ground heat pump system works with water thermal storage to regulate temperature. Solar panels on the Bronze Box contribute energy, while air-source heat pumps support hot water supply. Rainwater is collected and reused, and water drawn from the Fu River, already part of the distillery’s operations, feeds the pond system.

below the pond, the volumes connect into shared spaces including a theater and support areas