steel mesh curtain veiling daipu architects' china culture hall doubles as rain collecting device

daipu architects completes streaming light exhibition hall

For the GuanZhong Mangba Art Festival, Daipu Architects renews a courtyard in the village of Caijiapo, China, with a steel mesh curtain veiling a new cultural venue. Hosted beside what was once a dilapidated kitchen and warehouse, the space was susceptible to flooding during heavy summer rains, which the new Streaming Light Exhibition Hall addresses both poetically and functionally. Instead of imposing rigid solutions, the architects embedded a rainwater management system into the very language of the design.

A wave-shaped perforated metal roof that draws on the roof tiles of local homes is introduced, extending sculpturally to form part of the facade. Its undulating form and multiple paving lines veil the traditional structure behind and contort into a sculptural, circular pathway that guides visitors through to the exhibition space. This element marks a transitional threshold while also directing rainwater toward a hidden drainage system, keeping the courtyard usable year-round. 

all images by Wu Qingshan

the perforated steel intervention is sculpture and functional

Tucked north of the Qinling Mountains, the village has become an unexpected site for experimental art and rural construction projects launched by the Guanzhong Mangba Art Festival, and spearheaded by the Guanzhong Art Cooperative. Daipu Architects, commissioned to stage an architectural intervention, embraces the festival’s ethos to enhance the village’s broader context by designing a space that responds to the seasonal challenges of the site while enhancing its experiential qualities with a striking perforated stainless steel curtain.

Prefabricated in sections and installed within two days, this lightweight structure shifts between states of opacity and transparency. At certain angles, the metal surface reflects the sky and sun, dissolving into its surroundings; at others, it reveals the textures of the existing brick wall. The effect transforms with time and movement and offers a variety of atmospheres — morning light with the blue of the sky creates sharp, intricate shadows on the courtyard ground, while at dusk, the mesh appears to be transparent, rippling like water. Inside the exhibition hall, the architects have removed a brick wall to create an open, fluid space, and integrated a lightweight triangular steel frame that reinforces the existing roof. The original kitchen chimney has been repurposed into a skylight niche that illuminates the exhibits while presenting a quiet seating area.   

Daipu Architects renews an abandoned courtyard

the Streaming Light Exhibition Hall was created for the GuanZhong Mangba Art Festival

the intervention addresses the site’s susceptibility to flooding

its multiple paving lines veil the traditional structure behind and contort into a sculptural, circular pathway

leading into the exhibition hall

the exhibitions are hosted within what was once a dilapidated kitchen and warehouse

hosted in the village of Caijiapo, China

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project info:

name: Streaming Light Exhibition Hall

architect: Daipu Architects | @daipuarchitects

location: Caijiapo Village, Xi’an, China

lead architect: Dai pu
project architect: Zhao Xinyu
design team: Zhao Xinyu, Huang Zhiyi, Wang Zhengqi

structural consultant: Yang Xiaotian / I-Structure

client: GuanZhong Mangba Arts Festival
curator: Wu Xiaochuan, Song Qun, Guanzhong Arts CO-OP
photographer: Wu Qingshan