Physics Vaults Design de Exposições by Wei Xiaodong

Physics Vaults Design de Exposições by Wei Xiaodong is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award de Bronze in Design de Espaços Interiores e Exposições Competition Category.

BronzeInterior· 2026

Physics Vaults Design de Exposições

by Wei Xiaodong

Client: Beijing Four-Face lmage Environmental Art Design Co., Ltd.

A' Design Award de Bronze Winner in Interior Category

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The Design

About Physics Vaults Design de Exposições

Physics Vaults é um projeto de design de exposição para um museu de ciências em Shandong, na China. O interior abrange cerca de 7.000 metros quadrados e reúne cinco salas expositivas, uma zona de entrada e um espaço anelar imersivo. As salas são delimitadas por uma sequência de arcos decrescentes executados em concreto aparente moldado numa única concretagem. As cascas em arco funcionam simultaneamente como estrutura e como cavidades ocultas para as instalações prediais e os sistemas de mídia. Aparatos de grande escala, passarelas de aço, chapas metálicas perfuradas e iluminação embutida conduzem os visitantes por cinco cenas experimentais fundamentais, tornando o conteúdo complexo da física mais fácil de compreender.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Bronze

Physics Vaults Design de Exposições conquistou o A' Design Award de Bronze, um reconhecimento altamente prestigiado atribuído a designs notáveis que se distinguem pela criatividade, engenho e perspicácia. Os vencedores do Bronze são artefactos amplamente habilidosos e surpreendentemente criativos que comprovam a vasta experiência, imaginação e capacidade de iniciativa dos seus designers. Espera-se que Physics Vaults Design de Exposições seja um objeto muito considerado, admirado e estimado, notavelmente profissional e inovador. Este design vencedor do A' Design Award de Bronze incorpora as melhores práticas em arte, ciência, design e tecnologia e é excelente pela sua atenção ao detalhe. Physics Vaults Design de Exposições satisfaz esplendidamente necessidades, toca desejos, encanta sentimentos e desperta curiosidade.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Based on five key experiment scenes, including particle accelerators, the design features a sequence of halls framed by diminishing concrete arches. By integrating realistic large-scale apparatus with raw architectural form, the space fuses artistic immersion, scientific cognition, and philosophical speculation. This creates a top-tier innovative science museum experience, transforming engineering physics into a profound dialogue on humanity's shared pursuit of truth.
Dimensions & Packaging: The interior comprises five main exhibition halls, an entrance zone and an immersive ring space, with a total designed area of approximately 7,000 square meters.
Tags: Exhibition Design, Science Museum, Fair-faced Concrete, Particle Physics, Arch Structure, Spatial Narrative, Immersive Experience, Engineering Aesthetics, Integration
Production Technology: Arched shells are cast in a single pour of fair-faced concrete, serving as both primary structure and hidden cavity for MEP and media systems. Realistic large-scale apparatus is set directly against these raw surfaces to meet core science-education needs, while steel walkways, perforated metal and concealed lighting add an almost theatrical vividness, unifying exhibition and construction into one engineering-physics narrative.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was to integrate exhibition content and construction into a single system rather than simply adding displays to a finished shell. Large-span concrete arches had to work simultaneously as structure and service cavity while still supporting clear sightlines and narrative flow. At the same time, expert-level physics content needed to remain scientifically precise yet legible to non-specialist visitors.
Research: The research focuses on exhibition and experiential space design, exploring how spatial language can connect advanced physics experiments with everyday public understanding. Grounded in scientific rigor and empirical observation, it examines how scale, material and narrative flow shape cognition and emotion, turning the science museum into a bridge between researchers and society and passing scientific spirit to younger generations.
Inspiration: Inspiration comes from the spatial language of high-energy physics infrastructure. Arches echo underground tunnels and protective bunkers, while exposed concrete conveys engineering rationality and authenticity. The space turns complex, expert-level knowledge into accessible experience, letting each visitor feel both their own scale and humanity's shared quest to understand the universe.
Project Duration: The project started in 2015 in Shandong, China and finished in 2021.
Operation Flow: The design employs a dynamic narrative where spatial structure is isomorphic to the exhibition flow. Visitors traverse a sequence of diminishing arches, mirroring the focusing trajectory of particle beams. This progression connects five thematic halls, shifting focus from macro-scale apparatus to micro-scale artifacts. The journey flows from rational observation to immersive contemplation, ensuring physical movement aligns perfectly with the unfolding scientific story.
Patents: Wei Xiaodong
Team Members: Wei Xiaodong, Tan Ying, Yu Lihan, Chen Zhengye, Zhang Rong