The Competition -
An international competition was held in 2008 for the design of the Nanyue Palace Museum. The purpose of this museum is to protect and display of the ruins of the Nanyue Kingdom, as well as show the development of Guangzhou in its 2000 year history, in order to push forward and promote Nanyue's application for the World Cultural Heritage, to create a cultural 'name card' for Guangzhou and become a spot of cultural tourism. Mark hemel and Barbara Kuit submitted a daring design which combines a structural idea with an architectural concept. The 2000 year old garden is spanned with a multiple of vierendeel trusses that are combined to form a box. This box floats above the garden and holds the main museum spaces.

Lozenge pattern -
The geometrical lozenge pattern that has been discovered on the tiles and stones coming from of the 2000 year old Nan Yue period has been revived into a new modern lozenge pattern for the museum so creating a clear and recognizable face for the museum. The lozenge will be a crisp and bright image logo that will reflect the importance of the region, and through its simplicity and clarity remind people of 2000 year old history of the city of Guangzhou and underscore the important role that the city has played over time.