主馆和设计新馆，作为两栋独立的建筑从不同角度诠释了玻璃的潜能。自2011年开馆以来，馆藏的艺术品和设计品日益增多。设计新馆的空间能适应不断演变的当代玻璃艺术场景，体现了玻璃这种介质的无尽可能性。
设计新馆收藏的永久展品包括来自Pia Wüstenberg, Formafantasma, Nendo, the Campana Brothers等国际艺术家。策展的重点旨在体现玻璃的多样性。著名建筑师安藤宗雄的玻璃艺术品也成为新展的一大亮点：“在人类社会温情渐失的时代，手工打造的玻璃，使冷冰冰的材料本身透出了人性的温暖。”
设计新馆由两层展览空间组成，其设计与上海玻璃博物馆主馆形成鲜明对比，如同日与夜一般遥相辉映。尽管两者兼具简约的风格，但主馆的主调是凝重内敛的，旨在深层次地探寻玻璃的世界；而设计新馆却巧妙的借用自然光，将展品如画纸般铺陈出来。大幅落地玻璃窗和浅色内墙显得明亮温暖，镜面墙的运用制造了通透的空间感。
漫步在简约干净的空间中，观众会发现意想不到的惊喜：中央镜面阶梯处让人耳目一新的艺术装置，巧妙的运用了镜面折射的效果，用霓虹灯管打造出“反其道行之”及其相对应的英文字样。设计新馆不仅仅是一个容纳精美设计品的展馆，也给了观众以驻足思考的机会。
While in separate buildings, these two facets of the museum park are linked by their exploration of what glass can do. Since opening in 2011, the collection of artworks and design pieces belonging to the museum has steadily grown, and the Design Wing is a space that can swiftly adapt to the ever-evolving design landscape in glass, representing the possibilities that glass offers.
Exquisite pieces from Pia Wüstenberg, Formafantasma, Nendo, the Campana Brothers, and more are available to view in this permanent collection. The curated variety demonstrates the breadth of the material’s properties. Renowned architect Tadao Ando, whose glasswork is also on display in the Design Wing, sums up this unique medium beautifully: “During a time when human warmth is being lost, a material such a glass, in itself cold, preserves, through its hand-manufacturing, its warmth.”
Covering 2,100 square metres, the Design Wing displays the glass pieces within two floors. While an extension of the Shanghai Museum of Glass, the two buildings are a stark contrast, complementing each other like night and day. Both are streamlined and minimalistic, however, the Main Hall is dark and withdrawn, made for a deep dive exploration of the glass world that looks inward. The Design Wing, on the other hand, utilises sunlight to let the design pieces reveal themselves fully like art on a canvas. Large windows and light walls maximise the natural light, and mirrors lining select sides of the interior create an effect of fathomless space.
Though the majority of the space resembles a minimalist and clean studio, there are surprises at every turn. Visitors are suddenly greeted with a mind-bending art installation when ascending the central staircase. Cleverly placed neon lights and mirrors play on the words “Whatever you think, think the opposite,” and “What is essential is invisible to the eye” in English as well as their Chinese adaptations. More than a place to walk through and see incredible designs, the Design Wing gives visitors pause for thought about what they are experiencing.
