An exercise intended to focus on re-estabishing context and history of a site, Dutch firm Mecanoo has proposed their design for the Longhua Art Museum and Library in Shenzhen, China. Integral to the development, the building takes into account its place and purpose to create a program that is organised around a series of patios, which will seamlessly blend into the urban surroundings. This will effectively provide a place of reflection, peacefulness and contemplation for the city’s residents.
The architecture will reflect the values of traditional buildings in China; guided by local customs and urban culture. During China’s modernisation the past ten years, buildings mostly took an iconic and futuristic appearance, while neglecting years of history and urban participation. ‘Instead of copying western models, we delved into local customs to find the typologies that would adjust the most easily to the lifestyle and practices of local inhabitants, ’ explains Mecanoo.
Through studying the climate, for many years, this has effected people to organise their lives around outdoor spaces and in turn, the museum will mimic this idea. Furthermore, the development will hope to achieve a sense of harmony between nature and the built environment, and provide a calm respite from the hectic streets of Shenzhen.
Instinct Furniture BLOG, mostly about cool libraries, furniture and design – keeping you abreast of our world. (Source: Designboom. Images by Mecano).
