Japanese architect Junya Ishigami, founder of the Junya Ishigami + Associates studio, has unveiled the Zaishui Art Museum, located in China, on an artificial lake at the entrance of a newly developing district in Rizhao, Shandong Province. The museum extends longitudinally for one kilometer, almost covering the entire diameter of the lake, and will have an area of 20,000 square meters.
To give the impression that the structure emerges from the water, a series of parallel columns rise from the lake’s bottom, supporting a sinuous roof composed of an extremely thin concrete slab that, in some points, lowers to mimic the profile of the mountain range behind the museum; in other points, it opens up to the sky. Between the columns, glass panels allow for a complete osmosis with the surrounding landscape, and not only, as in some areas, the building’s floor will directly meet the lake's surface. Even in winter, when the water surface freezes, the underlying water will remain liquid, continuing to flow inside.