Level 2 in the M+ building. Photo: Dan Leung. M+, Hong Kong
SUHANYA RAFFEL:
You’re now on Level 2 of M+, surrounded by our exhibition galleries. This level is radically horizontal—although you can see down through the cutaways to the Ground Floor and Found Space below, you’re now at the bottom of that upside-down letter T that makes up the museum. Having our 29 gallery spaces grouped together on a single floor like this was an intentional design choice, making it easier for visitors to navigate between them without having to cross between multiple floors.
At the heart of this level is the Atrium, a space with a dramatic spiral staircase at its centre, flanked on either side by the lightwells—which you’re probably familiar with by now from glancing up from the floors below. Once again, these openings allow natural light to bathe this communal space, making it feel open and bright, despite the muscular, diagonal concrete structures known as mega-trusses which line the Atrium. If you want to hear more about how the architects used these support structures to build M+, just select ‘Mega Trusses’ from your audio guide menu.
The layout of this floor is a little like that of an Ancient Roman city: this central space is like the civic square, a public space accessible to all at the centre of the city. These civic squares were intersected by two streets, one running north to south, the other east to west, meaning that the wider city was naturally divided into four neighbourhoods. Each of these had its own character, its own landmarks, its own unique feel—and it’s the same here in M+. As you’ll see, our galleries are divided into four distinct quadrants branching off from this central space. There’s the South, West, East, and North—or Sigg—Galleries.
When you have a chance, we encourage you to explore these galleries for yourself, not just to engage with the exhibition displays, but also to get a sense of how each has its own distinct style, expressed through its choice of materials and unique layout.