G20 Project Museum, Peking

G20 Project Museum – Beijing, China
Project overview

This museum, developed for the G20 summit, provides exhibition spaces that celebrate international cooperation. Located in Beijing, the building features expansive interior volumes and a dramatic central atrium. The design emphasises openness and daylight, with large windows and skylights connecting visitors to the outside environment.

Design challenge

The museum’s galleries require controlled daylight to preserve sensitive exhibits, while visitors need comfortable lighting for prolonged viewing. Beijing’s climate includes cold winters and hot summers, necessitating both good insulation and solar control. Some interior blinds span multiple floors, presenting structural and operational challenges.

RetroSolar strategy

The project employs RETROLux 50 mm blinds installed inside the building
retrosolar.us
. Many of these blinds reach 5 m in height, spanning two storeys. During summer, the blinds remain horizontal to provide a high visual transmission of approximately 72 %, allowing visitors to enjoy views while preventing direct sun penetration. A mirrored ceiling above the galleries further distributes the redirected daylight deep into the exhibition areas
retrosolar.us
. The combination of vertical blinds and horizontal mirror surfaces creates an even lighting distribution across display surfaces.

Building physics and performance

The tall blinds provide a continuous reflective surface that redirects light upwards. By remaining in a horizontal position, the system maintains a clear sightline through the galleries and avoids casting deep shadows. The mirrored ceiling acts as a secondary reflector, bouncing diffuse light back down, ensuring that even areas far from windows receive natural illumination. The use of mirror finishes reduces heat build‑up and mitigates glare, supporting stable environmental conditions for the exhibits.

Architectural outcome and significance

The G20 Museum offers visitors a daylit experience that fosters a sense of openness and connection to the outside world while protecting delicate cultural objects. The large mirror‑optic blinds highlight the building’s height and grandeur, turning the shading system into a design feature. This project demonstrates how RetroSolar technology can be scaled vertically to suit tall interior spaces and integrated with architectural elements such as mirrored ceilings to enhance light distribution.