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Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village

Fri Apr 23, 2021Community CenterChina, Mainland2019

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
north yard day view. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village

Atelier Sounding Architecture

ARCHITECTS
Atelier Sounding Architecture

AREA
1450 M²

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Ningde, China

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Chang Liu, Qin Gao, Dezhong Kong

CONSTRUCTION
Fujian Xinjiuchuang City Construction Co. Ltd

CLIENT
Pingcheng Municipal Government, Fujian Xingping Investment Development Co., Ltd

ENGINEERING
Zhiqiang Li, Jinbing Tang

CATEGORY
Community Center, Renovation

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
distant view. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
aerial view. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture

Text description provided by architect.

The site is located at the west end of a bridge as the entrance of Qianfenxi Village, north of Fujian Province in China. Being close to the stream, while being hidden behind the terrain and houses along the road, this site becomes a certain junction in between nature and man-made.

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
aerial view. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
aerial view. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture

As the starting point of local vitalization, the original grain factory which is closed and chaotic needs to be renovated into an open rural art center.

Thus the design thinking starts as following: how to form an open and vivid public space at the entrance of the village, how to sort out or even rebuild a space order among the randomly arranged exiting buildings, and how to achieve space quality within a limited budget by using locally feasible construction method.

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
secondary entrance. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
north yard connect to the riverside. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
view Langfang #1 from riverside. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture

The design strategy is the intervention of the "Lounge-house" system. Lounge-house is inspired by the local typology of lounge-bridge: in our view, lounge-bridge is not only an architectural heritage to protect but also a unique type of public space in rural areas.

It is not only a bridge to pass through, but also a place for villagers to relax in shadow in summer, to do daily worship, and to hold festival banquets and other public activities. Similarly, the lounge-house tries to introduce publicity into the art center.

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
lecture in the Langfang. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
view from the entrance. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
view from the riverside. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture

Seven lounge-houses are set in a certain matching relationship with the existing buildings, as a space extension from indoor to outdoor. By blurring the boundary between the corridor to pass and the pavilion to stay, they can be called half-corridor-half-house.

Therefore, various behaviors could come into being: people read and chat here, use them as outdoor galleries, restaurants,s or open classrooms.

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
view Langfang #1 from riverside. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
view Langfang #1 from riverside. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
Langfang #4. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture

The seven lounge-houses are different from each other according to specific site conditions, but they share a unified and locally available construction system: the composition of a light roof using a steel truss system and a heavy base using a masonry system.

Besides, within one of the existing buildings which only has rammed-earth-walls around being left, an independent steel structure is placed.

As a house within a house, the new roof grows out of the existing walls.

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
restaurant. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
north yard corner. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture

Thus the space capacity is increased, also light and distant mountain views are introduced.

As a system, all the lounge houses construct the structure of the site. There are two main courtyards one in the south and another in the north, together with a series of patios within lounge-houses and side courtyards between new and old.

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
terrace. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
south yard night view. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture

They establish rich visual relationships within buildings and help to perceive the stream and villages around the site.

Finally, the new lounge-houses and the original buildings are intertwined with each other to form new micro settlements, to form an open and rich rural art center.

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
north yard night view. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
top view. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
original Langqiao. Image Courtesy of Atelier Sounding Architecture

Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
location
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
bungalow system
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
site plan
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
axonometric
Rural Art Center in Qianfenxi Village
model