Construction has begun for the new headquarters of China's oldest art auction house, The Guardian Art center. With plans released by Germany-based architecture firm Büro Ole Scheeren, the multi-use complex consists of a museum, event space, and cultural lifestyle center, and will be built nearby Beijing's Forbidden city.
The bottom portion of the building consists of varying sizes and volumes of geometric shapes, echoing the city's Hutongs, or narrows streets or alleys that run throughout the area. The upper portion is an escalated rectangular ring that forms an inner courtyard for the building, and resembles the architecture used for court houses in Beijing. The interior architecture is a series of merged spaces, primarily for exhibition and auction rooms, allowing for both small and large events. The main area, a 18,000-square-foot event space, is surrounded by several smaller and interconnected rooms to provide this function. To drive more attendees, there are also several restaurants and a 120-room hotel. Read More
