Architecture

Herzog & de Meuron Opens Archive to M+ in Hong Kong

Models, drawings, prototypes, sketches, and archival documents reveal how ideas changed on their way from the studio to the skyline—and, in some cases, remained a concept rather than becoming a real building

By Rena Gross

August 21, 2026

Architectural models displayed on a table, showcasing various building designs and structures in white and gray tones. — Study models and process materials for projects by Herzog & de Meuron. Photo: © Herzog & de Meuron / Lok Cheng / Courtesy of M+, Hong Kong

There is something fitting about staging a Herzog & de Meuron exhibition inside a Herzog & de Meuron building. Opening September 12, “Herzog & de Meuron: In Focus” celebrates M+’s fifth anniversary by turning attention from the finished museum to the less tidy process of making architecture. It covers ten built and unbuilt Herzog & de Meuron projects. The material comes from the second phase of a major gift from the Basel firm, which designed M+ in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup.

A highlight is the Bird’s Nest, created for the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a design team that included Arup and the China Architectural Design & Research Group, with Ai Weiwei serving as artistic adviser. The display itself borrows from Kabinett in Basel, another Herzog & de Meuron project.

People walking under a modern architectural structure with unique geometric designs and a large sculptural light fixture. — National Stadium, Beijing, China. Photo: © Iwan Baan

Instead of placing objects in conventional museum cases, M+ is using replicas of the wooden vitrines developed for Kabinett. The decision addresses a problem with architecture exhibitions: since the building itself cannot usually be brought into a gallery, models, drawings, and other evidence of its making have to stand in for it.

“Focusing on ten pivotal projects in China, this exhibition traces both the evolving creative vision that defines Herzog & de Meuron’s practice and the wider transformation of China’s urban landscape,” explained M+ Senior Curator and Head of Design and Architecture Ikko Yokoyama. “The open-storage display, inspired by the Kabinett, repositions the gallery as a space for discovery and dialogue. By showcasing the models, materials, methods, and research of these important architectural projects, we invite visitors to explore the experimentation and decision-making behind each work, from early ideas to built form.”

Collection of futuristic architectural models on a white surface, showcasing various shapes and materials. — Sketch, study models, and design prototypes, National Stadium, Beijing. Photo: © Herzog & de Meuron / Lok Cheng / Courtesy of M+, Hong Kong

Founded in Basel in 1978, Herzog & de Meuron had already become an international force well before its extensive work in Asia. The conversion of London’s Bankside Power Station into Tate Modern brought the firm worldwide recognition. Subsequent projects include Prada Aoyama in Tokyo, the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and SongEun Art Space in Seoul. For Herzog, their donations to M+ offer visitors something a famous finished building tends to conceal: the research, materials, discussions, and practical circumstances that shaped it.

“We are honored to make this donation to M+ as the museum celebrates its fifth anniversary,” says Jacques Herzog, Founding Partner, Herzog & de Meuron, adding, “As a cultural landmark in Asia that brings architectural discourse to the fore, M+ holds a special place in our practice, and this exhibition allows us to share the thinking behind some of our most important work in China, not only as finished buildings, but as a process shaped by research, materials, dialogue, and the realities of place.”