UAD designs 'da yu memorial hall' amid the lush mountains of shaoxing, china

the architectural design & research institute of zhejiang university (UAD) has shared spectacular images of their latest project: da yu memorial hall. to be situated within the dayu mausoleum scenic area in shaoxing, china, the building will serve as a place to commemorate da yu, the founder of the xia dynasty – the first dynasty in chinese history.

all images © UAD

the program for da yu memorial hall spans a massive 51,666 ft2 (4,800 m2) above ground and 236,806 ft2 (22,000 m2) below ground. for the concept, the designers sought to convey da yu’s life through architectural form. in the end, the final design highlights a more introverted and abstract metaphor that interprets the spiritual transition of da yu from man to god in an architectural language from exterior to interior.

within the design, priority is given to nature. courtyards of all sizes embrace the incredible mountain scenery and the designers reorganized the original layout of the site with proper landscape design to reinvent the relationship between architectural volumes and natural features. the building also follows the cultural and historical order of the site. the holistic square form echoes the circular altar and jiulong tan (nine dragon altar) and masters the collective relationship, reflecting the majestic demeanor of da yu.

all functional divisions of the architecture embody a more appropriate interpretation of the da yu spirit. the central meditation hall discards the worship for concrete and mimetic sculpture, but retains the remembering and resonating sensation. the coexisting courtyard weakens the traditions of respecting and revering, but integrates the royal power and civil rights. the sharing space transcends class and political barriers, reflecting the spirit of equality and people-orientation. 

the courtyard space in the architectural design bears the spiritual ballast of the chinese nation to the ancestor da yu. it also serves as a place for people be enlightened, understand the inspiration, and absorb the spirit of the chinese nation. the courtyard space in the site design highlights the adherence to the classic axis order, and works as a courtyard as well for the architects to organize space, connect nodes and respond to the natural landscapes.

the architecture integrates with the surrounding worship spaces and natural environment. it obtains the coexisting wisdom of equality and harmony through light and shadows that overcome space and time boundaries, which is exactly the design soul of da yu memorial hall.

project info:

project name: da yu memorial hall
location: dayu mausoleum scenic area, huiji mountain, shaoxing, china
design firm: the architectural design & research institute of zhejiang university co., ltd. (UAD) + architectural design & research institute of scut co., ltd.
design guide: he jingtang, wu zhongping
architectural design: dong danshen, hu huifeng, jiang lanlan, huang weiwei, huang diqi, han lifan, zhang yujun
structural design: xiao zhibin, zhang jie, ding ziwen, shen zeping, he lihong, chen xu, lv junfeng
HVAC design: yang yi, wang yalin, pan dahong, ding de
electrical design: li ping, wu xuhui, yu liang
water supply and drainage design: yi jiasong, zhang zhenyu
weak current design: lin hua, ye minjie, yang guozhong, li xiangqun
interior design: zhang yi, zhao yijie, xu xiaojia, yu zhibin, luo kaiming, niu dong
landscape design: wu weiling, wang jietao, xu conghua, wu di, yao haiyan, he ying, gu jingxian, xu feitong, liu qing, zhang chi, lin teng, huang jingyi
curtain wall design: bai qi’an, yu ping, cao dongqiu, zhang moran, hu liangze
lighting design: wang xiaodong, song luoying, liang xiaoyue
excavation pit design: xu quanbiao, zeng kai, chen gang, liao kewu, chen shengxian
economy: chu qianbo, sun wentong
expected completion time: october, 2020
area: 300,453 ft2 (27913.01 m2)
client: shaoxing kuaijishan resort dayu development and investment co., ltd.