David Chipperfield's stately design for the Shanghai Centre Pompidou revealed

Image: David Chipperfield Architects

Stately, elegant, reflective: these adjectives have largely described the work of British architect David Chipperfield, whose structures tend to invite contemplation and pause before hot take Instagramming. His selection as the architect of the West Bund Art Museum in the new cultural center created jointly by the Centre Pompidou and Shanghai's West Bund Group is therefore not surprising, especially in light of

China's recent dictate to steer away from "weird" architecture.

Image: David Chipperfield Architects

The renderings for the proposed 25,000 square meter structure display Chipperfield's signature moves: meticulously calibrated volumes stack atop and adjacent to one another near a reflective body of water. The renderings steer away from bold colors, favoring muted pastels. The interior renderings also convey a serene setting: an ample entrance hall is not flooded with visitors, but rather hosts only a receptionist and a single guest, effectively conveying the notion of unharried leisure.

Image: David Chipperfield Architects

Although the West Bund Art Museum and the larger complex it is housed within have been commissioned specifically to showcase contemporary Chinese art, these renderings portray a place that is not supposed to be crowded as much as inhabited. Chipperfield's light touches, embodied by a careful pairing of glass and airy collonades, create a showcase space that is removed from clamor. Instead, the aesthetics of the West Bund Art Museum appear to be focused on remaining quiet enough to allow the art to speak for itself.

Image: David Chipperfield Architects

Image: David Chipperfield Architects