Login
Registered users
The project is designed to leverage the local natural landscape and rich historical and cultural resources. Grounded in the "resilience" theory and aimed at revitalizing the rural economy, it highlights regional cultural traits while encapsulating the contemporary zeitgeist and the unique spirit of the locale. This approach fosters a deep connection between the community, its heritage, and the natural environment, promoting a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity.
Considering the mountainous terrain, the architecture adopts a staggered formation with a lower front and higher rear, ensuring harmonious integration with the landscape. To evoke local identity, reflect a sense of responsibility toward the land, and enhance the resilience of vernacular culture, the architects incorporated "kiln" elements into the façade, in hope that the residents' memories can be kept alive and revitalized by the renovation, as well as constructing a sturdy tie of affection between history and the present. The project also features modern geometric contours and stark white as the dominant color to articulate a contemporary narrative.
Since the dawn of human civilization, people have consciously combined their daily life places with their emotional attachment, and thus developed a sense of belonging to the place, which is the connotation of "Spirit of Place". The architects took into account the regional characteristics and historical and cultural background of Zuoquan and tried to visualize these elements in the project itself: - The main theme of the design is to emphasize the correspondence between architecture and nature (the shape of the building and the topography of the hillside); - The narrative of the architectural scenes and stories combined with the spatial form of the local kiln caves and the rhythm of the folk songs are intended to move the hearts of the people: - The spatial combination of "courtyards" and "corridors" in the building intends to bring users an open, free and resilient spatial perception, and the emotional resonance called out by the place creates a spatial experience that varies from person to person, and the spatial experience of the crowd converges in the spatial and temporal dimensions to sublimate into a spirit of place. The spatial experience of the crowd converges in the spatial and temporal dimensions and sublimates into a kind of spirit of the place, in order to let people perceive the social and cultural significance of the building, and to construct the identity of the crowd to the regional culture.
The client appreciates the design concept "resilience". With the aim of flexibility and openness, the design creates multifunctional spaces to enhance space utilization efficiency, promoting human interaction and harmonizing people and the site. Similarly, we feel the building's "penchant for play" in its design. The building's façade incorporates traditional elements to evoke a sense of temporal connection and belonging among the locals, serving as a tangible bridge for these emotional ties.
Liu Xiangcheng is an architect and urban planner. Liu’s firm, Atelier-i, founded in 2018 in Shanghai and expanded to Paris in 2021. Liu served as chief architect at Tongji Architectural Design Group for five years in Shanghai. He has extensive experience in architectural and urban projects, including the Huawei Headquarters in Shenzhen, Chifeng Grand Theatre, and Chengdu Professional University City. He has won several prestigious awards and holds a Master's in Architecture from Tongji University, a Master's in Urban Projects from Paris-Belleville School of Architecture, and a Specialized Master's in Urban and Real Estate Management from ESSEC Business School. Committed to "empowering cities through architecture", Liu creatively uses resilience theory to blend multidisciplinary approaches in addressing urban and architectural challenges, maximizing the integrated value of space, society, economy, and ecology for clients worldwide.
