Chinese studio Open Architecture presented its design for Space Crystals, a space museum in Yantai, the hometown of the first female Chinese spacewalker. According to the firm, the building will appear as “an extraterrestrial-looking object landed in a seaside park”.

Half of the stone-shaped facade will be in back-painted glass, while the other half, the south-facing one, will be covered with photovoltaic glass, able to generate the general lighting requirement of the whole building.

The central atrium – 20 meters high – with faceted walls that give shape to a polygonal surface, will be used as an exhibition space, and inside will be projected themed images. A spiral ramp will lead visitors to the upper exhibition floors and at the top there will be an open terrace overlooking the ocean. The museum will also house a theater and a bar, open even when the museum is closed.

Space Crystals is part of a larger master plan by Open Architecture for the seaside park and is planned to be completed in 2026.