This museum is the embodiment of old and new into one building. It keeps the guidelines and designs of a traditional museum, with exhibition spaces and reveals the multiple uses of glass, the history of how it was invented and creations made of glass.
Shanghai Glass Co., Ltd started the project and also funded it, the company being the main observer of the evolution of the glass industry in Shanghai. The company helped preserve the traditions that the glass business has to offer. The CEO of Shanghai Museum of Glass,Zhang Lin,points out the fact that the former glass factory turned into a state-of-the-art building, having its own charm since it preserves the architectural design of the former building.
The main structure of the building keeps the old glass melting workshop. The design of the building highlights the essential, old structure but it turns the whole structure into a beautiful mixture of old and new. Visitors are revealed a lot of stories and objects of art in their journey. It is fascinating to notice how history clashes with the present and how creative glass designs seem to come out to life with the use of ingenious designs.
The space of the museum of glass fills 5,000 m2 and 3,750 m2 of the total space is reserved for the main hall, the reception hall, there are also permanent and temporary exhibition halls, an office space, museum shops, collection rooms, a café for relaxation and chats, a library,DIY workshop and one of the main attractions in the museum: a hot glass demonstration hall.
The museum has multifunctional uses, the main ones focusing on the works and exhibits that are revealed to the visitors-architectural glass,-intricate design when it comes to scientific instruments, there are also historical relics and contemporary designs, retracing the history of glass step by step. Glass has two perspectives in this museum: the ancient use and the modern use –and the museum points out the importance that glass has always had in our lives.
