chinese tradition meets roman arches & domes in aoe architects' art hall

beijing-based aoe architects has designed an intimate urban art hall, as a sino-italian cultural exchange city reception center, located out of the historical center of chengdu in china. the architects sought to find the intersection of these diverse cultures blending the chinese tradition with ancient roman arches and domes to house the multi-functional requirements of exhibition, meeting, reception, and catering.

all images courtesy of aoe architects

aoe architects covers all the walls with a pure white color adding a three-dimensional light effect projected by the sun. furthermore, a large glass area fully integrates the outdoor landscape into the interior, and the natural landscape serves as part of the exhibition. in addition, the introduction of multi-level outdoor greenery combines the natural elements of light, scenery, and wind, allowing people to coexist with the surrounding natural environment while they wander in the building.

the design reveres the existing environment and utilizes 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 forest. the staggered height of the building allows visitors to stand at various heights and view different sceneries.

the building’s interior takes shape as a flowing space formed by 10 circular walls of different sizes. they are divided into three elevation levels in accordance with the terrain, rising from the entrance hall to the interior space step by step, with two circular skylights guiding the visitors from the entrance foyer to the central exhibition hall.

the circular space consists of two spatial forms, the indoor and piazza. three outdoor semi-circular yards are defined as the entrance fountain piazza, the italian piazza, and the outdoor theater, each reproducing a typical italian urban space. the ruins of the roman arches surround the piazza italia. at the same time, the three indoor circular spaces function as a meeting hall, a multi-functional hall, and a multimedia showroom, which are arranged around the central exhibition hall.

the visitor crosses the gable to the italian piazza and ascends a curved staircase to the roof garden. the project includes two round gardens, one in the east and one in the west, complemented by the contrast between natural vegetation and stone. the chinese cultural hall on the east side is reached by walking down through the cultural corridor or stepping over the chinese white jade pavement above the water pond. the two paths symbolize the two silk roads between east and west, on land and water.

project info:

name: sino-italian cultural exchange city reception center

architects: aoe architects

design team: wen qun, ma jianning, pan jichang, li xiangting, fan ruixue, wang ye, chang zhiyu, lu yu

location: 36km from the chengdu center, china

total area: 17813.3 sqm (191 740.8 sqft)

total construction area: 2106.7 sqm (22 676.3 sqft)

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edited by: christina petridou | designboom