The National Maritime Museum of China has a distinctive form that reaches out into the bay from a large waterfront parkland, behind which a new city district of Tianjin, called the Binhai New Area, is being developed. The building comprises a series of interconnected pavilions that cantilever in a fan-like formation from a central reception hall. Four main wings focus on the themes of ‘the ancient ocean,’ ‘ocean today,’ ‘journey of discovery’ and ‘the age of the dragon.’ The three-storey museum, which covers 80,000 m², contains six display areas and 15 exhibition halls. These halls are interconnected so that visitors have an opportunity to understand and interpret China’s maritime evolution in relation to events in Europe, America and wider Asia. The pavilions provide a constant connection between inside and out; part of the user experience where exhibits exist within the landscape but are a key organising device of the plan, helping to orientate visitors on their journey experience.