Ningbo Historic Museum
200best ES
Amateur Architecture Studio
2008
Type
Museum
Tags
cultural facilities, art spaces , 200Best, material processes
Visitability
Allowed
Description
This museum is part of a large public square that represents the new area of Ningbo, a city that has experienced significant growth in recent years. The concept of the museum is in continuity with the space of the square: it is a monument that you can walk through without having to enter, and it pays homage to the villages that have disappeared as a result of urban sprawl. The building features a powerful volumetry reminiscent of a fortress. Built in part with materials from the demolition of traditional buildings, using a technique known as wapan, the new architecture is conceived as a work halfway between signature architecture and vernacular constructions that result from local know-how and chance. The work is a reflection, sometimes paradoxical, on modernity and tradition, according to its authors. For instance, concrete, which symbolises modern construction, is textured with bamboo, while traditional waste materials are used to construct abstract forms related to modern tradition.