Project Overview

The Tongsen Art Gallery is located in the northern section of Binjiang Road of Shizhong District in Leshan City, facing the Minjiang River in the east and the communities in the west. The site becomes the spatial medium connecting the urban communities with the natural texture. Therefore, we try to establish a new roaming spatial system, so that people on both sides of the site can coexist harmoniously with the landscape and the art gallery, forming a unique public space order and strengthening the interaction energy between the city and nature.

We try to echo the Minjiang River landscape space. The "megalith" architectural forms designed to simulate reef landform occlude each other to form a three-dimensional space sequence of sinking, suspension, penetration and overhead construction, opening the interactive interface to the nature and the city from different heights. Compared with the traditional giant cultural architecture, Tongsen Art Gallery tries to create a three-dimensional and open roaming spatial system, so that the contemporary culture and art space can intervene in the continuous natural urban context with a more modest attitude, and integrate with the daily life of citizens.

Project Commissioner

Toshare

Project Creator

ZEN Design

Team

JING Zhelu, NIE Xin, LEI Wen Tian, LIUKe, LIU Chunwei, WEI Haodong, TANG Jian'an , ZHAO Yongnian, WANG Zhuoying, ZHANG De, SONG Qianshen, WANG Haitao, YANG Jing

Project Brief

Planning concept: In layout design, as the first riverside interface, the typical residential areas on the north and south sides of the site naturally define the interface of the gallery facing the river from the east. We choose the square texture to achieve unity with the surroundings and try to open up dialogue and interaction between the river and the city. The roaming spatial system formed by landscape and architecture helps to establish multiple paths that extend through the east and west of the site and spread out.

Function of space: The design attempts to extract the reef form to echo the natural landform of Minjiang River. The linear path of roaming space is made three-dimensional by the two large "megalith" architectural bodies that extend upward and occlude each other. The "megalith" connects the functional units of the three floors longitudinally and transfers people upward. At the same time, two horizontal overhead floating giant outdoor terraces and sunken courtyard are formed to integrate the sharing functions into the space.

The different scales of overhead construction on the first to third floors free up a large number of core shared spaces. It opens the vision horizontally and realizes the sharing of all-weather roaming space by the terraces on each floor vertically. Meanwhile, the overhead space becomes a huge viewport of the architecture, allowing the river and the city interface to interact directly through the middle of the architecture.

Project Innovation/Need

Open roaming paths: The linear paths extending from the river to the site develop into a three-dimensional roaming system catalyzed by the volume of the "megalith", connecting multiple open space units. Walking along the way, people can enjoy the changing landscape, constantly shuttle between inner spaces and outer spaces, successively pass the huge front water surface, underground book bar, acrylic swimming lanes, empty space with large span for viewing and other spatial sequence, and finally come to the suspended exhibition hall.

Suspended exhibition hall - overhead space with large span for sightseeing: The 600-square-meter exhibition hall is located on the third floor of the building. 70% of the second floor is designed on stilts, and only the core tubes on the north and south sides and a V-shaped column in the middle are reserved for support. The project uses extreme overhead means to create a sense of floating, and naturally defines a sightseeing terrace with both upper and lower views completely open. On the third floor, an 8m cantilever structure and a 1200mm deep infinity pool are designed for the space under the eaves close to the river, hoping to zoom in the river view interface as much as possible. The above elements, together with the delicate reflection of the anodized alumina ceiling.

Underground courtyard: The paths extend into the site from the river from east to west, and are rapidly divided into multiple spaces after cutting through the huge water surface in front.

Design Challenge

Suspension-overhead space: It took half a year to complete the process from concept design to completion of construction. In order to realize the design of suspended exhibition hall and super-scale overhead floor, we adopt an all-steel structure system. The north-south terminal traffic cores and a V-shaped column support the 600-square-meter exhibition hall on the third floor, releasing 70% of the overhead area. At the same time, two roaming sharing spaces of the upper floating pool exhibition hall and the lower elevated landscape terrace are also created. In addition, the area of the exhibition hall on the second floor that retreats according to the architectural form can form a three-story overhead space with the sunken courtyard. In this way, it forms a roaming space system shared with the terrace on the second floor and an all-weather tour experience path.

Anti-gravity sloping curtain wall: We try to tilt the two vertical volumes at 30 degrees to realize the architectural space form of the natural reef landform. The steel structure and double curtain wall can ensure safety and form a local anti-gravity form that is large at the top and small at the bottom, naturally enclosing the central private courtyard space. People can wander through the building and explore the mega structure reef-like landscape from terraces of different heights. The project, the city and the river interweave and merge, forming a unique spatial interaction between viewing and being viewed.

Sustainability

Passive low-carbon energy saving: The central atrium of the Tongsen Art Gallery is formed through overhead structures of different scales on one to three floors. Horizontally, the east-west air flow through the atrium can enhance the utilization of air flow by each overhead terrace, effectively form the internal circulation of ventilation and cooling, and reduce HVAC energy consumption. Meanwhile, the sunken courtyard stretches the longitudinal scale to form a three-story space, forming a natural low pressure and pumping the indoor air on the negative first floor up to realize the longitudinal circulation and effectively ensure the ventilation and energy saving of the underground space.

Ecological roaming interaction: By establishing an open three-dimensional roaming space system, the art gallery provides a space for citizens to interact with nature and the city. We hope that the intervention of construction can blur the boundary between nature and city, and the interactive relationship between them will be closer. In the future, this art venue will not only serve as a medium to display artistic creation, but also become an event venue focus on the theme of sustainable environmental protection to deepen people's awareness of the natural ecological environment.  

Architecture - Commercial - International Sales

This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. 
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