Shenzhen Natural History Museum

The Shenzhen Natural History Museum is the first large-scale natural history museum in Southern China. Conceived as a seamless fusion of architecture, landscape and exhibition, it invites visitors to journey through the universe, the formation of Earth, the evolution of life and the age of dinosaurs in immersive, media-driven environments.

The exhibition design for four galleries – Universe Hall, Earth Hall, Evolution Hall and Dinosaur Hall – combines scientific specimens, interactive installations, immersive media and scenography to translate complex content into spatial experiences. Rather than simply presenting information, the galleries encourage active exploration, while large-scale projections, sound, light and digital environments create moments of wonder and emotional engagement. Each gallery develops a distinctive identity while contributing to a coherent journey through transformation, evolution and deep time.

The Universe Hall expands into the scale of the cosmos, translating astronomical systems into a journey from ancient observations to contemporary science. The Earth Hall reflects geological structures and planetary forces, connecting global processes with the specific context of South China. The Evolution Hall is organised around the dynamic “Tree of Life”, making the complexity and continuous transformation of biological evolution tangible. The 21-metre-high Dinosaur Hall forms the experiential climax: a dramatic vertical landscape in which large-scale media, specimens and spatial choreography evoke prehistoric habitats and narratives of life, extinction and survival.

Designed in direct response to the museum’s curved spatial geometry, the galleries use architectural surfaces as part of the storytelling. Physical elements and digital environments merge with the architecture to create one continuous spatial experience.

The result is a living landscape of discovery that transforms visitors from observers into active participants – connecting scientific knowledge with curiosity and emotion.