Selldorf Architects will design the Qianlong Garden Interpretation Center within a palace of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, which has never been opened to the public.
The Selldorf Architects-designed visitor centre will open up the Qianlong Garden ? a private palace in the northwest quadrant of the former Chinese imperial palace complex, known today as the Palace Museum.
The project forms part of the restoration of the Qianlong Garden, which is currently being undertaken by the Palace Museum in collaboration with the World Monuments Fund.
The private palace will be opened to the public for the first time as part of the project
Otherwise known as the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, the Qianlong Garden was built by for the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty in 1771 to serve as part of his planned retirement complex. Occupying almost two acres of the complex, it comprises 27 pavilions and structures, alongside four courtyards. It is one of the most significant historical sites in the Forbidden City to remain unrestored.
The Qianlong Garden Interpretation Center will be built in a restored structure in the palace
Selldorf Architects' Qianlong Garden Interpretation Center will be built within an existing, restored structure in the second courtyard of the palace, and comprise three halls surrounding an open pavilion.

The main hall will be an open space with an unobstructed view of the rockeries in the third courtyard, while the east hall will present the conservation of ...