10 architectural teams to submit concept designs
The local government said yesterday that it is aiming to complete the construction of the first phase of the Macao National Museum of Culture – which will be located on the waterfront area east of Macau Tower – and open it in 2029.
The museum, covering a total gross floor area of 100,000 square metres, will be constructed in two phases. The second phase will be larger than the first. For the time being, the government does not have a schedule for when the second phase is expected to be completed.
The government noted yesterday that after the first phase opens to the public, the construction of the second phase will not affect its operation. When the museum becomes fully operational after the completion of the second phase, it will be Macau’s largest museum.
The government has invited 10 architectural design teams to submit concept designs for the museum, including four foreign teams, aiming to complete the evaluations and select a winning proposal within this year.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man held a press conference yesterday to brief reporters on the bureau’s ongoing preparatory work for the large-scale museum’s design and construction. The press conference, held at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape, was also attended by officials from four other relevant public entities: the Lands and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU), the Public Works Bureau (DSOP), the Transport Bureau (DSAT), and the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM).
The Macao National Museum of Culture will be one of the three major cultural facilities for the future Macao International Integrated Tourism and Cultural Zone. The zone is one of the government’s four future large-scale projects aimed at injecting new impetus into Macau’s long-term development.
The government consulted members of the public late last year about its proposal for the Macao International Integrated Tourism and Cultural Zone. The other two major cultural facilities for the zone will be the Macao International Centre for Performing Arts and the International Museum of Contemporary Art, both to be constructed on the Zone C land reclamation area off Taipa’s Ocean Gardens residential estate.
The Zone C land reclamation project was completed in late 2022. The 0.32-square-kilometre man-made island is currently still undeveloped.
Among the three, the Macao National Museum of Culture located next to Macau Tower will be the first to be constructed.
The local government said earlier this year that it will run the Macao National Museum of Culture in collaboration with the National Museum of China in Beijing.
During yesterday’s press conference, Leong said that the Macao National Museum of Culture, to be constructed in two phases, will cover a total gross floor area of 100,000 square metres, comprising 80,000 square metres used for museum and exhibition facilities and 20,000 square metres earmarked for business, restaurant, and recreational facilities.
Leong noted that the museum will be a landmark, large-scale cultural facility. Given the high technical requirements for the museum’s architectural design, which must meet top international specifications and standards, she said the local government has invited 10 architectural design teams to submit concept designs – comprising four from foreign countries, three from the Chinese mainland, and three local teams.
The four foreign teams are from the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, she said.
The 10 concept designs will be assessed by a panel including officials and experts in fields such as urban planning, architecture, culture, and museum management, Leong said, adding that the government expects to complete assessing them and select one within this year.
Afterwards, Leong noted, the government will begin the museum’s final construction design in line with the chosen concept design.
Leong said that with the aim of ensuring the first phase can be completed and opened to the public sooner, it will be smaller in scale. She noted that the museum’s main facilities and functions will be housed in the second phase – which will be larger than the first.
Leong underlined that the government is aiming to complete the first phase and open it in 2029. She emphasised that the subsequent construction of the second phase will not affect the first phase’s operation.
Leong also noted that the current green promenade featuring various recreational facilities along the outer edge of the waterfront area east of Macau Tower will remain intact after the construction and operation of the Macao National Museum of Culture.
Meanwhile, Leong also said that the government will launch preparatory work next year for the design and construction of the other two major cultural facilities for the zone, adding that it aims to complete their final construction designs in 2030.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man (centre) speaks during yesterday’s press conference at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) as other officials look on, comprising (from left to right) Un Chao Wa from the Transport Bureau (DSAT), Leong Io Hong from the Lands and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU), Vu Si Man from the Public Works Bureau (DSOP), and Wong Kei Lok from the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM). In the presentation, the area surrounded by the red dotted line shows the future location for the Macao National Museum of Culture. – Photo: Tony Wong
