China Design Museum Opens in Hangzhou, Designed by Álvaro Siza

The China Design Museum opened in April 2018 on the Xiangshan campus of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, one of China's most prestigious art schools. The museum was built to house the academy's collection of over 7,000 Bauhaus design pieces, acquired in 2010. The building was designed by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza (born 1933 in Matosinhos), who was reportedly convinced to take on the project because of the Bauhaus collection. The museum spans 16,800 square meters and includes exhibition spaces, a laboratory, an archive, an auditorium, a multifunctional hall, a gift shop, a cafeteria, and a soon-to-open bookstore. Five exhibitions launched with the museum: a retrospective on Siza titled "Álvaro Siza – Beyond Architecture," three permanent shows featuring the museum's collections (including the Bauhaus collection and one on the school's influence in China, created with Bauhaus Kooperation), and a display of 36,000 men's garments by Italian designer Massimo Osti. The museum's opening coincided with the 90th anniversary of the China Academy of Art.