Qingxi Culture and History Museum in Sangzhou, a rooftop close to mountains and rivers

Located in Yunanshangang, Sangzhou Town, Ninghai County, Zhejiang, the project is positioned as a small cultural and tourism building that features a visitor center, an exhibition space and an experience center of Sangzhou Town’s culture and history. The base is far away from the hustle and bustle of city life, with only one country road connecting the villages nearby. And there are local villagers working in fields every now and then. Due to the distinct height discrepancy, the recessed platform ascends from north to south with a wide view on the north side. And the project enjoys beautiful terraces on the east and west sides and views of mountains in the distance. The base is built on a beautiful terraced field, close to mountains and rivers. Based on the overall natural environment, the exterior space of the building integrates with nature and surroundings in design language. Its silhouette takes cues from the original terraced fields, making the building well blend with environment. And the rooftop is designed to be covered with crops, just like the terrace fields nearby. The indoor spatial design is consistent with the external shape. Irregular walls and staggered rooftops render every space unique and delicate, like different trails in the countryside. Natural light is introduced through high windows or skylights into the walls and the ground, forming enjoyable views full of changes. Built against mountains, the building horizontally unfolds towards the east and the west, and its south side is higher than the north one, continuing the original terrain features. The rooftop is covered with crops. Natural daylight is introduced into the interior through high windows and skylights. Besides, by taking into full account the local dominant wind direction and landform, the project arranges the outdoor space in reasonable way, so as to offer villagers a rich activity space. During the construction process, the design makes full use of the local materials. For instance, the building is mainly laid by the local natural stones. The rooftop is designed to be covered with crops, just like terraced fields nearby. Local techniques are leveraged to present the most original features of natural terraced fields. Natural techniques enable the whole building to generate the same visual experience and textures as terraced fields in a close view. To incorporate local characteristics into the building, the project employed experienced stonemasons in the town and used local natural stones, striving for presenting the most original features of terraced fields. Detailed components are also meticulously created by craftsmen, such as the stone window frames and drips. Materials for the indoor spaces, including the fair-faced concrete roof, the white diatom mud wall, and the wood-colored doors and windows, are adopted to reflect the original texture of materials, as well as the primitive feelings of the countryside. The design integrates the roof and terraced fields outside into a whole, allowing visitors to unconsciously walk on the rooftop when enjoying the charming terraced fields along the topographical line. In addition, visitors can enter the building through platforms on each floor to experience Sangzhou’s culture and history. Platforms on each floor take visitors to immerse in the wonderful terraced fields. The design hopes that the building just serves as a stopping point for visitors to know about the culture and history of Sangzhou during their journey of admiring the picturesque view. Furthermore, the building is also positioned to be an important space that provides the local villagers with diverse activity experiences. From scheme to completion, the key point of the design is to balance the relationship between the interior space and the external form of the building. For this, irregular walls and staggered roofs at different heights are adopted to create a rich space, with structural beams, plates and columns combined together. The light and shadows falling on the wall and ground are relevant to the positions and sizes of smoke exhaust windows. Besides, the arrangement of mechanical and electrical system, wind opening as well as reserved pipeline is also required. Qingxi Culture and History Museum is not only an exhibition center of displaying Sangzhou’s culture and history, but also a tourism complex that guides visitors to the Dishuiyan scenic area. As a visitor reception center, it is an organic part of Dishuiyan scenic area. The museum beautifies ground landscapes, enlivens streams, and harmonizes with nature, creating an intoxicating pastoral scene in the countryside.