At the foot of Taihang Mountain and adjacent to Yishui Lake, the village has undergone a dramatic change during the past two years. Some 140 sq km of land has been selected to be used for architectural experimentation.
The Tiangang Art Center was built following a philosophy of “architecture is a means to shape the landscape, and landscape is a continuation of architecture”. SYN Architects designed a semi-circular concrete frame that would fit in with the area in a “bizarre but beautiful” way. They then continued this with orthogonal curves and spirals along the semicircle.
The frame becomes almost a work of art, resembling a sculpture and also becoming an extension of the landscape around it. Adding a steel structure allows the walls to transform into eaves and the original structural design adds columns to support this addition. These columns appear to be placed randomly, but the design is intentional as SYN Architects want to create the illusion of a jungle.
The structure takes on a clean geometric form and is coated with white paint to further enhance this effect. Without the linear design, the design is intended to capture the sunlight and utilise its warmth and brightness throughout. The structure also makes use of the views by incorporating 14 guest rooms within that face the shores and mountains.
Flexibility is essential for any gallery. Each exhibition hall provides a variety of spaces in different dimensions which allows for creative curators to play with the rooms in a variety of ways. With the semi-circular glass, light can be obscured if desired by whoever is curating and at night the walls emit a soft ethereal glow.
Timber and concrete were the main materials for the interior. The choice of these two creates cohesiveness with the views of the countryside and mountains. By using these natural materials it creates a rural and grounded design that does not feel the need to take away from the exhibits within.