luo studio's renovation of shayang rapeseed museum in china ensures spatial uniformity

LUO studio revamps Archives & Site of Shayang Rapeseed Museum

Architectural practice LUO studio takes over the transformation and site renovation of the existing space of Shayang Rapeseed Museum in Jingmen, Hubei Province, China. Following a series of regional design practices of space, exhibitions, and products related to the local agriculture industry of the area, interpreted by Zuo Jing Studio in collaboration with Approach Architecture Studio, the project focuses on the formal design of local landscapes and products, as well as the cohesion, retention, and development of local material culture heritage and spiritual vibe.

The plan attends to the resolvement of existing problems through a course of transformation strategies. The original Shayang Rapeseed Museum is comprised of three architectural spaces, the Main Building, the Auxiliary Building which is currently a Museum Shop, and Hui Xiang Fang Archive section. With the original site of the museum growing extensively and randomly without a plan, the construction ends up lacking structural integrity and cohesion, consisting of many splicing and broken spaces between and within the buildings. Settling the overall disconnection of the exhibition space, the design team rearranges the interior and exterior forming a connected and continuous layout.

all images by Jin Weiqi

renovation plan sets up organic & continuous spatial layout

In addition to organizing the necessary functions and repairing the anti-seepage and heat insulation, the design team organically composes the interior spatial relations and the various irregular landscapes at the corners between the buildings to sort out the small gardens and courtyards with different function types related to each other. Thus, integrating the unrelated fragments and the internal space into an organic and continuous unity.

The project reorganizes the site plan from the Main Building to the Archives and then to the Museum Shop and curates the order of the exhibition route. The contours of the original factory wall and the urban road landscape establish a set of unrelated non-parallel polylines, between which the Archives zone sets an abnormally staggered and negative spatial boundary. The new plan rationally reforms the area between the Main Building and the Museum Shop to coordinate and revitalize the fragmented spatial boundaries. A tall masonry screen wall is constructed at the turning point to divide and establish multiple interconnected square spaces, weakening the sense of narrowness of the original site.

A master plan including the exhibition route and layout development is formed based on the circulation order from the entrance to the exit of the site. The path starts from the bamboo courtyard after the Main Building continues to the statue garden leading to the Archives and its exhibition hall, and exits to the central green space where the camphor tree bench area arranges a sitting and lounge area around the round mill.

the camphor tree bench area arranges a sitting and lounge area around the round mill

sense of expansiveness improves the exhibition experience

The enclosure walls of the site are constructed to curve inwards, creating a sense of containment. The narrow passage adjacent to the factory, originally separated from the Archives’ interior space, is redesigned to become part of the interior. This expansion allows for an increase in the exhibition space. The reorganized space provides a more leisurely circulation for visitors, with naturally generated entrances for turning and retreating. The previously separate visiting routes are now united into one, establishing a sense of continuity. A bench is installed in the place of the original windowsill, serving as a turning point in the visiting route. The continuous structure also acts as a resting and reading space, equipped with books visually creating a sense of expansiveness, connecting the outdoor lawn to the internal space and transforming the originally cramped area.

The approach focuses on improving the exhibition experience by selectively adding and removing elements, considering both functional and aesthetic aspects. The goal is to create a unified and visually engaging space and to improve the exhibition experience while respecting and preserving the original building’s identity.

the new steel frame roof sits on the original concrete structure solving leakage and thermal insulation issues

the remaining old non-load-bearing walls are unified with new structures of white surfaces for display

the plan adds new continuous display stands, top lighting, resting bench, and window bookshelves

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project info:

name: Shayang Rapeseed Museum · Archives and Site Renovation
designer: LUO studio | @luostudio

design team: Luo Yujie, Cao Yutao, Liang Jiahui, Lu Zhuojian

construction: Hubei Agricultural Valley Construction and Development Co., Ltd.

location: Jingmen City, Hubei Province, China

photography: Jin Weiqi

curator: Zuo Jing

executive curator: Zhang Yunxue

curatorial team: Feng Jie, Wang Na, Wang Yanzhi, Yang Xi

exhibition coordinator: Pu Jia

spatial design: Luo Yujie, Cao Yutao, Wang Beilei, Lu Zhuojian, Liang Jiahui

visual design: Lin Xi, Wang Yuyang, Huang Zizhe, Su Guoren

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom