A new cultural centre that incorporates an art museum, science centre, a book mall and a youth centre has finished construction in Shenzhen, China.

Designed by architects Mecanoo, the Longgang Cultural Centre is located along a long, narrow strip in the city and is made up of four angular red buildings, each housing one of its four main elements.

The art museum’s focus showcases a number of public artworks on its upper floors and has an urban planning centre located on its ground floor and basement.

The science centre, meanwhile, focuses heavily on popular science for children and young adults, while the youth centre is a meet-and-greet zone that allows for extracurricular activities such as music and sport.



"The building connects the surrounding areas by subdividing the programme into separate volumes,” said a statement from Mecanoo.

"The in-situ concrete structure was carefully designed to become part of the visitors’ experience; wandering through the building is like viewing a cast concrete sculpture from the inside.

"The structural facade of each volume integrates beams, columns and massive concrete cores, resulting in a building where everything is revealed."