Wulong · LAB Art Museum

Wulong · LAB Art Museum
facade. Image © Tianxia Gao

Wulong · LAB Art Museum

C+ Architects

ARCHITECTS
C+ Architects

ARCHITECT IN CHARGE
Yanchun Cheng

PROJECT TEAM
Chen Bo, Pengfei Cao, Lvming Chen, Jianlong Liu

STRUCTURAL DESIGN
Jinbin Zhang, Lida Tang

PHOTOGRAPHS
Tianxia Gao

AREA
3000 M²

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Chongqing, China

CATEGORY 
Cultural Architecture, Museum

Text description provided by architect.

The LAB Art Museum is the main exhibition venue designed by C+ Architects for 2019 Wulong Lanba Land Art Festival.

Wulong · LAB Art Museum
facade. Image © Tianxia Gao
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
facade. Image © C+ Architects

As the most significant building in a series of exhibitions during the festival, the architecture itself acts as a piece of land art.

In the mountains away from urban civilization, the architects use the experience gained from nature and apply just little construction to the earth landscape to make people re-focus on natural scenery and eventually return to nature.

Wulong · LAB Art Museum
facade. Image © C+ Architects
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
facade. Image © C+ Architects

GLOWING RING FLOATING IN THE MOUNTAIN

Since the reserved construction site of the museum is located on a small hillside, it is especially important to consider the experience of visitors when they are at different heights.

Meanwhile, in response to the theme of land art, the architects designed an elliptical ring as the major exhibition hall, which was lifted by four functional blocks such as reception, staff office, gift shop and special exhibition area, and used the mountain to dispel the volume of first floor blocks.

Wulong · LAB Art Museum
facade. Image © Tianxia Gao
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
facade. Image © C+ Architects

Therefore, whether the visitors look up from the bottom of the slope or overlook the viewing platform in the distance, the first thing that comes into view is the oval exhibition hall.

The entire art museum looks like floating in the air, especially when the lights turned on at night.

Wulong · LAB Art Museum
courtyard. Image © C+ Architects
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
2F interior. Image © Tianxia Gao

ELIMINATION OF DIRECTION

Standing in the center of the field and looking around, the visitors are 360 degrees surrounded by nature.

The architects hoped to use the exhibition hall as an extension of the landscape, allowing people to stay in the same state as they can walk in any direction in natural terrain, that is, to design a free continuous, direction-free building.

Wulong · LAB Art Museum
2F interior. Image © Tianxia Gao
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
2F interior. Image © C+ Architects

Through the space separated by functional blocks on the first floor, visitors can enter and exit the central courtyard at will, as if they are in the middle of nature, which blurs the boundaries of the building and reduces its oppression to nature and people.

The architects combined the shear wall inside the main exhibition hall with the display wall.

Wulong · LAB Art Museum
2F interior. Image © Tianxia Gao
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
2F interior. Image © C+ Architects

Despite separating the space and integrating the equipment pipeline, it is more important to make the overall structure lighter.

The hidden building boundaries also give the exhibition hall maximum continuous visibility.

Wulong · LAB Art Museum
1F overhead. Image © C+ Architects
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
courtyard. Image © Tianxia Gao

INTERACTION BETWEEN NATURE, ARCHITECTURE AND PEOPLE

As a synonym for non-daily spaces, art museums and visitors are confined to relatively independent spaces, while the design of the LAB Art Museum opens up the architecture, allowing art, nature and people to coexist in the same scene.

The oval main exhibition hall uses large glass curtain wall as façade material.

Wulong · LAB Art Museum
1F overhead. Image © C+ Architects
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
courtyard. Image © Tianxia Gao

While admiring the land art works, people can enjoy the panoramic scenery in the mountains. In foggy weather, they can have the experience of strolling in the clouds.

When coming to the central courtyard, people will find that the elliptical ring-shaped architectural boundary limits the sky to a fixed frame, just like a piece of land art.

Wulong · LAB Art Museum
courtyard. Image © Tianxia Gao


Wulong · LAB Art Museum
aerial view. Image © C+ Architects
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
aerial view. Image © Tianxia Gao
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
1F overhead. Image © C+ Architects
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
courtyard. Image © Tianxia Gao
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
courtyard. Image © Tianxia Gao
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
courtyard. Image © Tianxia Gao


Wulong · LAB Art Museum
master plan
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
RF plan
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
1F plan
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
2F plan


Wulong · LAB Art Museum
seismic displacement
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
gravity displacement
Wulong · LAB Art Museum
wind displacement