The Beauty of the Steel Structure at Shenzhen Natural History Museum

On July 31, 2024, the steel structure for the Shenzhen Natural History Museum project was successfully topped out. This project is hailed as one of Shenzhen’s  “significant new-era cultural facilities” and, upon completion, will be the first large-scale comprehensive natural history museum in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the entire South China region. The museum aims to become a world-class natural history institution and will also serve as a crucial window for Shenzhen’s public culture and civilizational image.

The project encompasses a total building area of approximately 105,300 square meters, with a total steel usage of about 24,000 tons. The design includes two underground floors and five above-ground floors, with its overall shape inspired by river deltas, simulating the flow of river water and riverbanks. The designers connected five conical volumes with rhythmic, flowing lines, aiming to create a “world-class, Chinese-style, Lingnan-featured” landmark building.

In terms of intelligent manufacturing, the component delivery process for the project was well-organized and efficient. The main steel structure is vast and complex, consisting of over 5,500 steel components. China State Construction Steel Structure Company utilized a Just-In-Time (JIT) management system to leverage its industrial chain advantages, performing pre-purchase of raw materials, rapid processing, and precise shipping to ensure the timely delivery of over 24,000 tons of components. Through China’s first intelligent manufacturing production line for building steel structures, the project achieved assembly and welding in a streamlined production process, reducing the production cycle by 30% compared to traditional lines. This intelligent production line and its methods have also been granted a U.S. patent, highlighting their advanced technology.

In terms of construction technology, the project employed high-tech methods to address the complex structural challenges. The project features a full-steel frame structure with inclined columns, incorporating numerous curves, arcs, and irregular structural steel beams, with the largest span reaching 40 meters. The inclination angles of the columns range from 9° to 45°, requiring pre-deformation of the columns by 2-3 centimeters during installation. To address these issues, the construction team introduced “double-clamping self-balancing technology” and “bottom support + on-site hoisting” installation methods. These advanced techniques not only shortened the installation period by 15% but also effectively avoided three-dimensional cross operations, enhancing construction safety and operational efficiency.

In summary, the Shenzhen Natural History Museum project has not only integrated cutting-edge technology and innovative concepts into its design and construction processes but has also achieved significant results in the application of intelligent manufacturing and high-tech construction methods. As the project progresses towards completion, the Shenzhen Natural History Museum will emerge as a key platform for showcasing Shenzhen’s public culture and civilizational image, offering a fresh and enriching cultural experience for both residents and visitors.