xihe's cereals and oils museum renovated to revive the local community

xihe’s cereals and oils museum renovated to revive the local community
image © he wei

chinese architects he wei and chen long have completed the renovation of xihe’s ‘cereals and oils museum’ in a rural region of the country’s henan province. despite being rich in natural and cultural resources, the village suffers from poor accessibility, with a high population of elderly and disabled residents.

during the mid 20th century the site used to function as a granary
image © he wei

the project involved renovating the site’s existing structures, which during the mid 20th century used to function as a granary. the site is composed of five masonry buildings with double pitched roofs and two granaries with expansive internal volumes.

the site is composed of five masonry buildings with double pitched roofs
image © he wei

through the reconstruction of the abandoned buildings, the architect not only seeks to provide villagers with a public activity center, but also implants a new cultural project – a small museum that reflects the region’s agricultural history. a restaurant and activity center also help to improve the village’s economy and the quality of life for local people.

the brick building has a textured and patterned façade
image © he wei

intended as a model for rural construction development, costs were raised from a cooperative between the government and villagers. community workers were responsible for the project’s assembly, while the finished building will be run and managed by local people with profits being returned directly to the villagers.

inside the masonry structure
image © he wei

existing buildings have been repaired using local materials 
image © he wei

a community center provides a meeting point for the community
image © he wei

the use of wood is continued internally
image © he wei

the cultural institute gently glowing at night
image © qi honghai

a central courtyard connects the site
image © qi honghai

entrance to xihe’s ‘cereals and oils museum’
image © qi honghai

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project info:

project name: xihe cereals and oils museum and villagers’ activity center
location: xihe village great bay, xin county, xinyang city, henan province
client: villager cooperative of xihe village
architecture design: he wei, chen long
lighting design: qi honghai, han xiaowei
site area: 3,760 sqm
gross floor area: 1,532 sqm
museum: 420 sqm
villagers’ activity center: 680 sqm
restaurant: 169 sqm
affiliated construction: 273 sqm
total cost: 1.5 million yuan