Lianzhou Museum of Photography

Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chen Xiaotie

LIANZHOU MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY

O-office Architects

PHOTOGRAPHS
Chaos Z, Chen Xiaotie

CATEGORY
Museums & Exhibit

YEAR
2017

LOCATION
Qingyuan, China

AREA
3400 m²

MANUFACTURERS
West Bank stone, White Iron

VI DESIGN
another design

M E CONSULTANT
Jing Lue M.E. Ltd.

STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT
Wan Shuqi

DESIGN TEAM
Chen Xiaolin, Lin Licong, Zhang Wanyi, Deng Mincong, Wang Yue, Huang Chengqiang, He Wenkang, Yin Jianjiang, Zeng Ze, Peng Weisen


Lianzhou, a small city locates in the northern mountain area of Guangdong, has witnessed the miraculous 13 consecutive years of Lianzhou International Photography Festival, one of the most important photographic art events in China.

Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z

Construction of the photography museum is considered as the generator of the old downtown’s revitalization plan, and at the same time, a tribute to the city’s past.

Lianzhou Museum of Photography (LMP) was chosen to build in South Zhongshan Road, which local people cordially called "Old Street", a place full of local traditions and memories.

The original site is an old candy warehouse which has been the main venue for the last 12 photo festivals. 

Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z

LMP is comprised of two interlocking buildings, one preserved existing 3-story concrete-frame building, and one U-shape new building constructed on the spot of two demolished wooden structure buildings.


A composed façade-roof canopy of the new building shapes the roof skyline of the museum, fully respecting the urban fabric of the old town.

Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z

Below the successively folded slopes of the canopy area series of galleries, inter-linked by outdoor corridors, and staircases, with exhibitions and public events taking place under one roof.

The architect tries to break down the institutional and commemorative tradition of the museum into a three-dimensional exhibition tour that is co-existed with the old city’s morphology.

Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chen Xiaotie

Fragmented sceneries of the old city and everyday life have been juxtaposed to the experience of a journey of the serious and abstract modern photographic art, but sometimes sarcastic contemporary photographic art.

On top of the façade-roof canopy, an open-air theatre with a V-shape section sits right above the main exhibition hall, in connection with a steel terrace cantilevered from the preserved building’s flat-roof, forming the climax of the entire spatial tour of the museum.

Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chen Xiaotie
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chen Xiaotie

Almost all of the construction materials come from local.

Almost all of the construction materials come from local. Exterior surface of the continuous façade-roof canopy is composed of gray shingle collected from demolished old houses in urban and rural areas nearby mixed withlocal dark schist called the West Bank stone, which is also used on the ground floor and the supporting walls of basement level.

Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chen Xiaotie
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z

A collection of wooden windows collected from the demolished warehouse building has been implanted to canopy structure.

Facades of newly constructed exhibition boxes feature of traditional “white iron” (galvanized steel) skin mixed with old gray brick wall segments, inter-connected with concrete corridor’s and staircases armed with black steel railing panel.

The only non-local industrial product, delicate soft and translucent PVC corrugated tile, is used on the inner surface of the thick and rustic façade-roof canopy.

Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z

It brings a hint of warmth beyond the neutral-color architectural background (a basic requirement for photographic presentation)and, with LED lighting behind, provides a gentle soft light to the entire sheltered, and even indoor exhibition spaces.


Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
© Chaos Z


Lianzhou Museum of Photography
Axonometic
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
Axonometic


Lianzhou Museum of Photography
Site plan
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
Roof plan
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
First floor plan
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
Second floor plan
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
Third floor plan
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
Fourth floor plan


Lianzhou Museum of Photography
Section
Lianzhou Museum of Photography
Sections