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Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange City Reception Center
By : aoe Lead designer Qun Wen
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 15th edition
Discipline : Architecture
Categories : Public Building / Cultural Building : Bronze Certification
A City Art Hall Hidden in the Woods – Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange City Reception Center
Chengdu, hailed as the land of abundance, has a civilization history of 4,500 years and a city construction history of 2,300 years. In the 13th century, Marco Polo came to Chengdu, and the Corridor Bridge, the Jinjiang River and the cloth of ancient Sichuan became the most colorful parts of his travelogue. In the 21st century, against the background of the Belt and Road Initiative, the planning of Chengdu Tianfu Cultural and Creative City came into being, and the Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange City Reception Center is an important part of the City, aiming to build a platform for cultural exchange and civilization interchange between the two countries. The project is located about 36 kilometers from the center of Chengdu, planned to cover an area of 17,813.3 square meters, with a construction area of 2,106.7 square meters. At the platform of the exhibition hall, the creative group projects on the east side and the natural landscape of Yanqi Wetland are treats for visitors.
The architects hoped to find the intersection of the two in the cultural differences between the East and the West: the overall design concept was taken from the "Ruyi", which has been used in China since ancient times as a gift to foreign ambassadors to signify the conclusion of friendly relations and the peace of the two countries; while the Italian pavilion draws its design inspiration from Italy's most representative piazza, shaping an intimate and pleasantly scaled urban art living room. The design elements are extracted from the ancient Roman arches and domes, and the smooth enclosure of multiple circular squares is used to form a rich and versatile use space to meet the multi-functional requirements of exhibition, meeting, reception and catering. The use of pure white on all walls gives the building a different three-dimensional light effect in the sunlight, while the large area of glass extends the indoor space to the outside and allows the outdoor scenery to be fully mapped in, becoming a dynamic mural of the four seasons. With the change of wall materials, the designer creates the feeling of space that is both inside and outside, and the pavilion is thus perfectly integrated into the surrounding natural environment.
The harmony between architecture and nature lies in the use of natural resources as well as in the protection of the natural environment. The pavilions on both sides are designed with top lighting, so that the light is evenly diffused in the indoor and outdoor spaces. In addition, the introduction of multi-level outdoor greenery and the use of buoyant ventilation devices to channel airflow into the building organically combine the natural elements of light, scenery and wind, allowing people to perceive and coexist with the surrounding natural environment while they are in the building. Meanwhile, the building design reveres the existing ecological environment and uses materials and means such as low-e glass, local wood and green roofs to reduce building energy consumption and achieve sustainable construction. The exhibition hall serves as an important part for linking and integrating the surrounding ecological forest.
In terms of space planning, the designer has reserved the most flexible space for exhibition and display. The staggered height of the building allows visitors to stand at different heights and view different scenery, creating a "walk in the wood
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