studio pei zhu: guggenheim art pavillion, abu dhabi

guggenheim art pavillion by studio pei-zhu
image courtesy studio pei-zhu

studio pei-zhu have designed the guggenheim art pavillion located in biennale park
part of the new cultural district of abu dhabi, adjacent to the urban city, park land,
and canal.

the saadiyat island cultural district cultural district will boast four museums,
a performing arts center and 19 art pavilions; designed by renowned architects
frank gehry, jean nouvel, zaha hadid, tadao ando, greg lynn, david adjaye,
hani rashid, seung h-sang and  studio pei-zhu.

for the project studio pei-zhu created a floating building that is a bridge from the city.
the floating mass creates continuous public space at building base providing clear view
angles from the city to the park. its dynamic aircraft sculptural form identifies the iconic
gateway to the biennale park; to the north, responds to geometry and scale of the city
and to the south, pavilion tapers are stretched towards the canal

the projection creates a shaded area along the canal during the summer and the roof
becomes secondary ground with direct sun during the winter. the structure’s expansive
column-free interior exhibition hall, provides natural circulation. minimal glazing will
be used for solar heat gain reduction.

guggenheim art pavillion – main entrance
image courtesy studio pei-zhu

guggenheim art pavillion- roofscape rendering
image courtesy studio pei-zhu


guggenheim art pavillion- canal
image courtesy studio pei-zhu

guggenheim art pavillion- main exhibition space
image courtesy studio pei-zhu

guggenheim art pavillion- model
image courtesy studio pei-zhu

guggenheim art pavillion- model
image courtesy studio pei-zhu

guggenheim art pavillion- west elevation
image courtesy studio pei-zhu

guggenheim art pavillion- east elevation
image courtesy studio pei-zhu

guggenheim art pavillion- location
image courtesy studio pei-zhu