4. City Museum
Bachelor thesis / Site: Beizhen Beijing, China /June 2017
Advisor Jianmin Yang, Xichen Que
The project is located in the open space on the south side of Beizhen Temple of Beizhen, so people started to think carefully about how to handle the relationship between the building and the surrounding historic districts. In such a historic cultural area, more emphasis should be placed on the relationship between new buildings and old ones. In addition, as cultural center of the city, this program not only serves the function of a museum, but also provides urban citizens with a gathering place. So the designer hope this museum is neither serious nor solemn. It should be an architecture that is free and respectful of history, so that people can develop a relaxed feeling here. Because the building's surroundings are planned as Cultural Squares, the Museum can function as a sub-center here. I hope that people will gather freely where it becomes part of local life.
Although Beizhen is a famous historical and cultural city with numerous historical sites and historical relics, including not only small objects but many giant stone Buddha statues. Therefore, while considering indoor exhibitions, I also consider the use of the combination of the landscape and the show.
History Research
I choose to control the volume of the building and to distribute each space from a lateral perspective, which can also contributes to the enclosed space. In the architectural form, I choose the traditional Chinese sloping roof, which is usually the same height as the rooftops of houses, museums and roofs in northern China. From a distance, it looks like a cascade of mountains thus narrowing the sense of distance.
The traditional museum has a strong fixed space planning, such as the outdoor space as a rest area with exhibits located all indoors. When it comes to planning exhibition space, I think more should be considered in terms of the characteristics of exhibits. There are many giant stone tablets and stone carvings in Beizhen. So I have considered the combination of outdoor display space and interior one through which exhibits can better display their own charms. Besides, I choose glass box as the form of the passageway. Not only can it increase the interaction between the building and the outdoors considering lighting issues, it can also remind people that this is a rest area, suggesting the end of the last exhibition hall.
Architecture
We have lived in apartments for a long time and I long for the experience of living in a traditional courtyard. I hope this building can give such a feeling of relaxation so that people will be attracted by the friendly image from the beginning, and the vision and body can follow the meandering ground unconsciously into the museum's interior. People can choose either the sinking courtyard in order to visit the outdoor exhibition, or the first building before the quiet pool through the calm water to filter out the feelings of the outside world, reaching the first floor of the exhibition hall.
In the courtyard people can choose to sit in the courtyard under the tree to chat, or feed the fish in the pool, through the huge curtain wall you can see the interior art and people walking indoors. Everyone's feelings and ideas are different. In this building people have the right to choose freely, rather than follow the architect's idea of a person’s completing the process.
Interior
The traditional museum has a strong fixed space planning, such as the outdoor space as a rest area with exhibits located all indoors. When it comes to planning exhibition space, I think more should be considered in terms of the characteristics of exhibits. There are many giant stone tablets and stone carvings in Beizhen. So I have considered the combination of outdoor display space and interior one through which exhibits can better display their own charms. Besides, I choose glass box as the form of the passageway. Not only can it increase the interaction between the building and the outdoors considering lighting issues, it can also remind people that this is a rest area, suggesting the end of the last exhibition hall.
This museum is supposed to provide local and foreign visitors with a place to talk to nature, trees, water and arts through real materials and pure space. This plain and simple idea will be spread to more visitors through my project.
