SYN architects' luminous tiangang art center takes shape as a single, gestural curve

the developing rural site

SYN architects nestles its tiangang art center and hotel at the foothills of china‘s taihang mountain. the project comes at a time of rapid development among the village in which it is sited, in hebei province. the rural area has seen 142 square kilometers of its land allocated solely for architectural experimentation. while many new creative projects have taken root in the countryside, the place has quickly developed into an ‘eco-village’ which integrates current trends in art and culture with the simplicity of traditional country life.

this eco-village is only around 60 miles from beijing, so those living there can enjoy a simpler, natural lifestyle while still within reach of the city. the circular-shaped art museum ‘tiangang’ is completed as a leading example of the changes which are taking place in the area.

images by zheng yan

syn architects’ single gestural stroke

designing its tiangang art center, SYN architects (see more here) builds atop a pre-existing semi-circular concrete frame. nestled among the rural area’s mountains and rivers, the site was defined by its derelict condition occupied by the fractured, abandoned structure. in response, SYN architects demolished part of the original building and then ‘continued’ it. a slender, orthogonal volume curves and spirals up along the inner arc of a semicircle, gradually completing the shape, and creating a alternating relationship between revealing and concealing. the space takes shape as a continuous, unbounded, circular work of architecture.

integrating the landscape

commenting on the design of its tiangang art center, SYN architects notes: ‘architecture is a means to shape the landscape, and landscape is a continuation of architecture.’ therefore, this building that carries out the function of holding exhibitions can itself be seen as a work of ‘land art.’

the main volume of the building is coated with white granular paint to maintain a purity of color — with its clean geometric form and absence of linear directionality, it becomes an enormous object which catches the sunlight. the building’s sculptural presence is combined with nearby rice fields and villages, establishing a strong visceral connection between the building and the natural environment, enabling it to leverage its surroundings to amplify the aesthetic tension between the two entities.

the tiangang art center and hotel

the architecture is the product of SYN architects’ problem-solving approach — the half arc of the original building faces the river’s shore and distant mountains, so fourteen guest rooms are set within it, opening up to the private and tranquil scenery. the side facing the village and the main road is the primary interface between the building and the site, so public spaces such as reception and catering have been set parallel to the road, while a large circular exhibition hall is placed in the middle of the volume.

seeking to accommodate and display different kinds of art, the tiangang art center adapts to the needs of each exhibition. so the exhibition hall, winding road, roof terrace, corridors, and external areas of the building are spatially connected through the form of a ‘swirl vortex,’ providing a variety of spaces of various dimensions. each one evokes a unique relationship between wall and the roof, transforming as one moves from one to the other, and allows the building’s roof to be used imaginatively and efficiently.

art exhibitions generally require some separation from the adjacent market outside, so u-shaped obscured glass is utilized for a portion of the outer walls, allowing the entry of natural light, while blocking the line of sight and rendering the scenery outside indistinct. these walls emit a warm, uniform glow when the building is illuminated from within at night, lending the building an appearance akin to a kind of surreal vortex suspended in the sky.

the effect of a hotel within an art gallery, and an art gallery within a hotel has been created here. the guest rooms have increased value due to their relationship to the constantly changing artworks, while the exhibition halls benefit from having extra reception and service due to the supporting facilities of the hotel and restaurant. SYN architects has embedded a sustainability concept throughout the project from the very beginning. it includes amongst others, sustainability of industry, sustainability of the ‘consumption time’ of urban visitors, and of course, the sustainability of the physical space from which the architecture is composed.

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project info:

project title: tiangang art center

architecture: SYN architects

location: tiangang village, yi county, baoding city, hebei province, china

owner, investor: IVYONE group

program: art gallery + hotel

completion: 2021

photography: zheng yan
video: huasheng studio

lead architect: zou yingxi
project architects: gao bo, jin nan, jiang zhihua, chen shifang, tian yahong, wang ziqiang
interior design: xia fuqiang, he min, cao zhenzhen, qian guoxing, liu tingting, li qianxi, feng yan, guo mengjia, li hui
landscape architecture: xu lu, li beibei, zhang junchao, liu shuang, liang jingqi, shi qingqing
soft decoration design: shu kun, gu yuecheng

construction: HCCI urban architectural planning and design co., ltd.
structural consultant: beijing zhonghe jiancheng architectural engineering design co., ltd.-team lu lijie
lighting consultant: eastco lighting design (shanghai) co., ltd.